September 4th Week 2021 Current Affairs Online Test English

Explanation

• Haryana has been adjudged first in the country in installation of off–grid solar pumps under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahaabhiyaan (PM–KUSUM) with installation of 14,418 pumps against 15,000 sanctioned pumps for the year 2020–21.

• National Forest Martyrs Day is marked on September 11. The day as the name suggests is observed to pay tributes to those who laid down their lives in order to protect the jungles, forests and wildlife across India. 
• The day officially came into existence in 2013 after the Ministry of Environment and Forest made the declaration. The date of September 11 was chosen as on this date in 1730, the infamous Khejarli massacre took place. During this tragic incident, people started cutting Khejarli trees on the orders of the then king Maharaja Abhay Singh of Rajasthan. These trees were considered sacred by the people that belonged to the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan’s Khejarli village. 

Explanation

• China has launched the 24th Gaofen–series Earth–observation satellite in a bid to monitor environmental protection efforts and boost its natural resources surveillance.
• The satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province on a Long March 4C carrier rocket. China has mounted seven imagers and sensors on that spacecraft that are capable of obtaining spatial, spectral and radioactive data.

Explanation

• Punjab National Bank has appointed Rekha Jain as a shareholder director after Asha Bhandarker stepped down as shareholder director after completing her tenure of three years. 
• Previously, she has served as an independent director on the board of Telecommunication Consultants of India Ltd. (TCIL) from 2015 to 2019. Jain has also chaired the audit committee of the TCIL board.

Explanation

• The “Planetarium Innovation Challenge” has been launched by MyGov India for tech entrepreneurs and Indian start–ups. This Planetarium challenge was launched with the primary aim of bringing together local Start–ups and tech firms that have potential to build indigenous planetariums system software.

Explanation

• China has applied to join the Asia–Pacific Free Trade Grouping composed of 11 countries to increase its influence in international politics. Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted the application to the Trade Minister of New Zealand as a representative of Comprehensive & Progress Agreement for Trans–Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) or the Asia–Pacific free Trade grouping.
• CPTPP was a group promoted by former USA President Barack Obama to increase its relations with Asia. CPTPP comprises of Brunei, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, New Zealand and Vietnam.

Explanation

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Modi was apprised about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of the Republic of India and the Italian Republic on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
• The MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Italy will benefit from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other and it will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of Disaster Management.

Explanation

• In order to promote door to door digital banking and financial services in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched Mission ‘One Gram Panchayat–One DIGI–Pay Sakhi’, at Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in Pampore.

Explanation

• The Indian military contingent consisting of an all arms combined force of 200 personnel, including 38 personnel from the Indian Air Force, is taking part in the Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION –2021.
• This exercise is being held in the Orenburg Region of South West Russia from September 13 to 25, 2021. SCO Peaceful Mission is a Multilateral & Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise. The exercise is conducted biennially under the “military diplomacy” between the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.

Explanation

• A Pan–India Special Campaign called “Ek Pahal Drive” for Justice Delivery at doorstep was launched by the Ministry of Law and Justice. This campaign was launched in a bid to encourage mass registration under Tele–Law. Department of Justice and NALSA launched this campaign.

Explanation

• On September 16, 2021, The Indian High Commission in Dhaka celebrated the 57th Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC). 
• The event was hosted by Vikram Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh. About 100 ITEC alumni and VIPs from all walks of life participated in the event. ITEC is the flagship program of the Indian government. It was established in 1964 to provide development experience and appropriate technology to developing countries by India.

Explanation

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched a unique Scheme called Strengthening the Potential of India (SPIN) and has also set up a pottery cluster under the SFURTI Scheme in Varanasi with the aim to empower over 1100 persons belonging to the marginalized potters. 780 electric potter wheels were also sanctioned to SPIN Scheme participants.

Explanation

• World Patient Safety Day was observed around the world on September 17 to raise global patient safety awareness and encourage individuals to demonstrate their commitment to safer healthcare. WHO and its international partners celebrate this day. Theme for World Patient Safety Day 2021 is “Safe maternity and newborn care.”

Explanation

• On September 18, 2021 the International Equal Pay Day was celebrated. In all regions, women’s pay is lower than men’s, and the global gender pay gap is estimated to be 23%. The Equal Pay International Coalition is led by the International Labour Organization, UN Women and partners. The goal of the alliance is to achieve equal pay for men and women everywhere.

Explanation

• Every year on the third Saturday of September the International Red Panda Day (IRPD) is celebrated to increase public awareness and support for the protection of red pandas. In 2021, the IRPD was observed on September 18, 2021. This day was initiated by Red Panda Network in 2010. On September 18, 2010, the first International Red Panda Day was celebrated.

Explanation

• Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister and Skill Development Minister, has virtually presented the Kaushalacharya Award 2021 to 41 qualified trainers in recognition of their exemplary contributions to the skill ecosystem. These 41 trainers are from various initiatives and training programs of Skill India Directorate General of Training, Apprenticeship, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Jan Shikshan Sansthan and Entrepreneurship.

Explanation

• The Sikkim government has declared “Cooper Mahseer” which is locally named “Katley” as a state fish to emphasize the importance of the fish and emphasize its protection measures. “Neolissochilus Hexagonolepis” is the biological name of this fish.

Explanation

• ‘Ease of Doing Business’ reports which are published by the World Bank Group will be discontinued.
• It added that it will study a new method to assess the business and investment environment in various countries. After ethical matters irregularities were raised involving former bank employees and board members, the World Bank will study a new method to assess the business and investment environments of countries.

Explanation

• The annual ‘Crime India’ report is released by National Crime Records Bureau. The report for the year 2020 was released recently. As per the report, India recorded 1.20 lakh cases of “deaths due to negligence relating to road accidents” in 2020. Communal riots marked an increase of 96% in 2020 over the previous year.
• Offences against the State’, had a drop of 27% over 2019 but Uttar Pradesh was the only major state to record an increase in this category.

Explanation

• Raja Rithvik from the state of Telangana has become India’s 70th Grand Master after crossing the ELO 2,500 mark at the Vezerkepzo GM Chess Championship which was held in Budapest, Hungary.  After defeating the FIDE master Fennek Vaclav from Czechoslovakia, he scored 4 points.

Explanation

• India and Nepal on 20th September has begun a 15–day military exercise in Pithoragarh located in the state of Uttarakhand with a focus on counter–terror drills and disaster relief operations. The 15th India–Nepal military training exercise is named ‘Surya Kiran’ and it is being held to boost inter–operability between the two militaries.

Explanation

• Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, released Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s third state food safety index (SFSI) to measure the performance of states in five food safety parameters. In this year, Gujarat was the highest ranked state among the larger states, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Among the smaller states, Goa appeared first, followed by Meghalaya and Manipur. In UT, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and New Delhi topped the list. 19 Mobile Food Testing Vans (Food Safety on Wheels) were also flagged off by the minister to supplement the national food safety ecosystem, bringing the total number of these mobile inspection vehicles to 109.

• On September 20, 2021, the 2021 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) was published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The 2021 edition of GII shows the latest global innovation rankings of 132 economies based on 81 different indicators. Switzerland, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom continue to lead the innovation rankings and have entered the top five in the past three years.
• South Korea will be among the top five in GII for the first time in 2021, while 4 other Asian economies are in the top 15: Singapore (8), China (12), Japan (13) and Hong Kong (14th). India ranks 46th in this list.

Explanation

• During 20–26 September 2021, the Ministry of Commerce is organizing special programmes and events named ‘Vanijya Saptah’, as part of the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” celebration.
• National Single Window System and Industrial Park Rating System platforms will be launched by The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) during this event period.  

Explanation

• UK–based financial publication Euromoney in its Global Awards for Excellence 2021, has honoured DBS with the ‘World’s Best Bank 2021’ title. This is the second time DBS bank has won this title in three years. DBS Bank was also named as ‘World’s Best Digital Bank 2021’, thus making it the 1st bank in the world to hold both the titles at the same time.

Explanation

• India’s largest floating solar photovoltaic system (PV) plant has been successfully commissioned by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) at NTPC Simhadri in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• This 25 MW project covers an area of 100 acres. The project will not only generate clean electricity, but will also reduce water evaporation by shielding the covered area.

Explanation

• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act (APEDA Act) was passed in the Parliament in the year 1985 which led to the establishment of APEDA. As per a recent estimate by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the export of APEDA products has registered a 21.8% growth during April to August 2021.

Explanation

• The present Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force Shri. VR Chaudhari, has been appointed by the Government of India as the next Chief Marshal of the Air Force. He would succeed Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who would retire from the service on 30th September.
• VR Chaudhari was commissioned into the IAF in December 1982 has a flying experience of more than 3,800 hours on a wide spectrum of aircrafts.

Explanation

• India’s leading private sector Bank – Axis Bank, has committed a sum of Rs.30,000 crore for lending to sustainable financing till the financial year 2025–26, which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. 
• This commitment is intended to assist India to reach the SDG targets by 2030. The Bank intends to make wholesale lending to Sustainable Development projects which would have positive social and environmental impact.

Explanation

• The US Space agency NASA has announced the deployment of VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), which is a mobile robot to the Moon. This would be sent as a part of the Artemis programme in the year 2023, and is aimed to search ice and other resources on and below the lunar surface.
• The Moon’s South Pole is one of the coldest areas in our solar system. No prior missions to the Moon’s surface have explored it yet.

Explanation

• English author Ruskin Bond, Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla and six others were selected for the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship. The National Academy of Letters said that the general council of Sahitya Akademi announced its highest honour, the Fellowship.
• The others who received the Fellowship are Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay (Bengali), M Leelavathy (Malayalam), Dr. Bhalchandra Nemade (Marathi), Dr Tejwant Singh Gill (Punjabi), Swami Rambhadracharya (Sanskrit), Indira Parthasarthy (Tamil).

Explanation

• The state assembly of Karnataka has recently passed Karnataka Religious Structures (Protection) Bill, 2021. The bill was introduced by the state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, with an aim to protect the religious constructions on public places.
• As per the bill, a religious structure is defined as a “temple, church, mosque, gurudwara, Budh Vihar, Majar etc, constructed on a public place without authority of law”

Explanation

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi have developed a device that can generate electricity from water droplets, raindrops, water currents and even ocean waves. The device is developed using electrostatic induction and triboelectric effect. It is called “liquid–solid interface triboelectric nanogenerator”. The device is composed of a nanocomposite polymer and a contact electrode.

Explanation

• “Transforming Food Systems for Rural Prosperity” report has been released by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) which is an international financial institution and an UN specialised agency. The organization is headquartered at Rome, Italy. The report has laid emphasis on government investment in farming as well as in small and medium enterprises which support farm activities.

Explanation

• Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental economic organisation which aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade. It is headquartered at Paris, France and has 36 member countries.
• Recently, the President of the United States has nominated veteran Indian–American diplomat Manisha Singh as America’s next envoy to OECD. The diplomat had previously served in several significant positions which includes her present role as the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs.

Explanation

• The Foundation for Environment Education – Denmark is an environment organisation with presently 77 member countries. This organisation awards the Blue Flag certification, which is an eco–label for sustainable beaches across the globe.
• Recently, the foundation has awarded Blue Flag certification to 2 more beaches in India – Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry. With this, the number of Blue Flag certified beaches in India has gone up to 10.

Explanation

• Deputy Director General of Military Nursing Service (MNS) –Brig S V Saraswati has been presented with the National Florence Nightingale Award 2020. National Florence Nightingale Award is the highest national distinction given to nurses for selfless devotion and professionalism. 
• For her significant service in nursing to the soldiers and their families, she had been awarded General Officer Commanding–in–Chief Commendation (2005), United Nations Medal (MONOC) (2007) and Chief of the Army Staff Commendation (2015).

Explanation

• The annual “Freedom on the Net” report was released by the US think–tank Freedom House. As per the report of this year’s edition, Iceland topped the ranking, followed by Estonia and Costa Rica, the world’s first country to declare internet access a human right.
• Internet shutdowns in Myanmar and Belarus show that online rights declined globally for the 11th year in a row.

Explanation

• The rhinoceros is critically endangered and is on the verge of extinction. To highlight the significance of the efforts to be made to save them, World Rhino Day is celebrated on September 22, from 2010.
• The IUCN lists the one–horned rhino, also known as the Indian rhinoceros, as a vulnerable species.

Explanation

• The Rights of persons with disabilities Act 2016 provides for a legal mandate to ensure all polling stations to be made accessible for persons with disabilities. All material related to the electoral process are easily understandable and usable by them.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently organised a virtual national conference on ‘Accessible Elections 2021’. About 77.4 lakh persons with disabilities (PwDs) are registered voters in our country.

Explanation

• Ukraine began joint military exercises with the United States and other NATO forces on September 20, 2021. This military exercise is being conducted at that time during which neighbouring countries Russia and Belarus were conducting large–scale exercises, which aroused the vigilance of the West. The Rapid Trident 2021 exercise will continue until October 1.

Explanation

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is India’s 3rd largest trading partner in terms of value in 2019 and 2020 and the trade value is presently valued close to USD 59 billion. It is also India’s 2nd largest export destination after the USA.
• Recently, India and UAE have formally launched negotiation on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is expected to increase the bilateral trade between the two countries to USD 100 billion in 5 years.

Explanation

• The Government of India has recently launched the “National single–window system for investors and businesses”. This portal is designed to act as a single point of contact for obtaining all approval and clearance for business enterprises and investors.
• This would enhance Ease of Doing Business, transparency, and accountability. Presently, approvals across 18 central departments and nine states have been onboarded to the portal and another 14 departments would be onboarded by December 2021.

Explanation

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India has revised and eased the rules pertaining to storage and handling of ammonium nitrate and calcium carbide, for improved safety. This revision comes at the backdrop of the deadly Beirut (capital of Lebanon) explosion which occurred due to storage of 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port for 6 years.

Explanation

• Every year, 21st September is observed as World Alzheimer’s Day. This day aims to raise awareness about the Alzheimer’s disease, its causes, symptoms and the ways to handle it. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain condition which retards memory and cognitive abilities of the affected person. It is the most frequent cause of dementia in older individuals, which may cause brain cells to weaken and die.

Explanation

• ‘Doing Business’ report was the flagship publication of the World Bank. After data irregularities were reported internally, on Doing Business reports of 2018 & 2020, World Bank management paused the next Doing Business report.
• International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has also been cited by the World Bank in the probe.

Explanation

• The Asian Development Bank slashed India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 10% for FY21, down from 11% projected in April. The reason for the rate cut is the disruptions due to the second Covid wave. Growth projection for FY22 is raised to 7.5% from 7% forecast earlier.
• The Second wave disruptions have adversely impacted services, domestic consumption, and the urban informal sector. The economy is projected to rebound in the last three quarters of FY2021.

Explanation

• The Intergovernmental Group of 24 on International Monetary Affairs and Development, or the Group of 24 was established in 1971 at Lima, Peru. It is headquartered at Washington D.C.
• It is a chapter of G–77, to coordinate developing countries on monetary and development finance issues. India, along with other Group of 24 (G24) member countries, has objected to the withdrawal of measures like the Equalisation levy (EL). India is worried that the proposed global digital tax deal covering only top 100 companies may not lead to sufficient revenue for developing countries.

Explanation

• The Government of India’s Government e Marketplace (GeM) initiative has been adjudged as the winner of CIPS Excellence in Procurement Awards 2021, under the “Best Use of Digital Technology” category. The award ceremony was held in London, UK. GeM is a dedicated online marketplace for procurement of goods and services by Govt. Government Organisations, Departments and PSUs

Explanation

• The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) has become the first–of–its–kind institute in the Union Territory of Ladakh to have an internet connection using Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology. SECMOL is India’s highest altitude educational organisation. Li–Fi systems provide ultra–fast data connections.