Current Affairs - 20 September 2020

Help us understand what's happening

What's wrong with the post
Submit
author
Nancy
MME Expert
Banking and Insurance, SSC and Railways, Teaching Exams..., MBA Exams, Other Exams, UP State Exams, Haryana State Exams, Punjab State Exams

Current Affairs - 20 September 2020

photo

1. International Coastal Cleanup Day observed on 19 September
  • The 35th International Coastal Cleanup Day was celebrated consecutively for the ninth year by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam on 19 September. To commemorate the occasion, Eastern Naval Command(ENC) as a part of their sustained commitment and responsibility undertook Coastal Cleanup Drive at Ramakrishna Beach, Yarada beach and all seafronts within premises of naval units along the East coast.
  • Naval personnel at Ramakrishna beach and at Yarada beach undertook the cleanup drive whilst strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocol.
  • Drive was intended to inculcate amongst the general populace, the spirit of respecting the beaches and safeguarding our environment. The event was also aimed to create awareness among the general public to keep beaches clean and to support the noble efforts of GVMC in making ‘The City of Destiny – Vizag’ a clean city.
Foot Notes:
About Indian Navy:
Chief: Admiral Karambir Singh
 
2. Nepal plans to resume passenger railway services after 7-year suspension
  • Nepal is planning to resume passenger railway services after a 7-year suspension after it received two sets of rails from India. The Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit rail sets that Kathmandu had purchased from India arrived in Janakpur city yesterday.
  • Director General at the Department of Railway Balram Mishra said, it would take at least one and half months to restart the services, as it was currently working to recruit necessary human resources. The Department has planned to recruit over 200 staff gradually. It will be the country's first ever broad-gauge passenger railway service. The service will start from Kurtha, an area close to Janakpur town to Jayanagar, a town bordering India.
  • There was an operation of Janakpur-Jaynagar railway service in the past but on a narrow gauge line. The service was completely halted seven years ago.
Foot Notes:
About Nepal:
Capital: Kathmandu
Prime Minister: K. P. Sharma Oli
President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
 
3. Bandhan Bank sets up new vertical "Emerging Entrepreneurs Business" to help Entrepreneurs
  • Bandhan Bank has set up a new vertical called “Emerging Entrepreneurs Business (EEB)”.
  • The new vertical has been launched to support the emerging needs of the unbanked and underbanked segment of customers.
  • The vertical will focus on supporting this segment of customers in their journey to becoming entrepreneurs.
  • In addition to micro loans, the vertical will also manage micro home loan, micro bazaar loan and micro enterprise loan.
Foot Notes:
About Bandhan Bank:
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh.
Headquarters: Kolkata

4. Margaret Atwood awarded 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize
  • Margaret Atwood has won the 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize’s lifetime achievement award.
  • The award celebrates literature’s power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding.
  • The Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award is named for the late U.S. diplomat who brokered the 1995 Bosnian peace accords reached in the Ohio city.
  • Margaret Atwood is a prolific writer of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays and comic books.
  • In the recent years, she has drawn a new round of acclaim for “The Handmaid’s Tale”, her bestselling 1985 novel of a dystopian future in which women are subjugated after a theocratic group overthrow the US government.
Foot Notes:
About Dayton Literary Peace Prize:
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize is an annual United States literary award "recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace" that was first awarded in 2006.
Previous Recipient: Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde, Eli Saslow

5. HOCL gets BIS certification for all its products
  • Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOCL), a PSU under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has been granted Bureau of Indian Standards – BIS certification for all its products.
  • HOCL has been a pioneer in the manufacturing of Chemicals since its inception and quality is its motto since then.
  • The company is supporting and implementing the Make in India initiative of the Government of India in one or other way.
  • HOCL, a leader in the chemical industry, has a manufacturing unit at Kochi in Kerala.
  • It provides basic organic chemicals essential for vital industries like Drugs and pharmaceuticals, resins and laminates, dyes and dyes intermediates, rubber chemicals, paints, pesticides and Textile industry, virtually touching every face of life.
  • It is also manufacturing sanitizers in this period of COVID pandemic.
Foot Notes:
About HOCL:
CEO: S B Bhide
Headquarters: Maharashtra
Founded: 1960
 
6. Principal Secretary to PM chairs meeting of High-Level Task Force to improve air quality in NCR
  • Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Dr P K Mishra chaired the meeting of the High-Level Task Force constituted to improve the air quality in the National Capital Region of Delhi.
  • Dr Mishra emphasized that the meeting was called well in advance before the onset of harvesting and winter season to ensure proper precautionary and preventive measures to combat the causes of air pollution are taken well in time.
  • A review of the main sources of air pollution, measures taken and the progress made by the State Governments and various Ministries was carried out.
  • It was noted that the incidence of stubble burning has reduced by more than 50 per cent in the last two years and the number of Good AQI days have gone up.
7. Eight Indian beaches recommended for coveted Blue Flag international eco-label
  • Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that eight beaches of the country have been recommended for the coveted ‘Blue Flag’ international eco-label. Clean beaches are a testimony to good environment in coastal areas and India’s many beaches are among the best in the world.
  • For the first time, eight beaches of India have been recommended for the Blue Flag certification.
  • Blue Flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by an international agency ‘Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark’ based on 33 stringent criteria in four major heads–environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environment management and conservation and safety and services in the beaches.
  • The ‘Blue Flag’ beach is an eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide the tourists/beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities, safe and healthy environment and sustainable development of the area. The eight beaches recommended under the BEAMS are 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.
8. Cricketer Suresh Raina to set up cricket schools in J&K
  • International cricketer Suresh Raina called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar yesterday. The celebrity cricketer, on the request of Lt Governor, agreed to set up five schools in Kashmir division and an equal number in Jammu division to train the aspiring cricketers, particularly the youngsters from remote areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The Lt Governor appreciated the gesture of the cricketer and also informed him of the government’s resolve of developing sports culture in the Union Territory and said with sports and education, we shall give a new direction to the talented youth of J&K’.
Foot Notes:
About J&K:
Capitals: Jammu(Winter) Srinagar(Summer)
Lt. Governor: Manoj Sinha

9. KVGB launches special gold loan scheme for pandemic
  •  Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched a special gold loan scheme “Vikas Laghu Suvarna” with a reduced interest rate of 7.25%.The rate has been reduced considering the pandemic and also to provide easy and affordable credit to customers at a cheaper cost.
  • Gold loans are easy means to get money during emergencies with minimal procedure and are still a popular loan product among customers.
  • Under this new gold loan scheme, the bank is giving 80 % of the market value subject to a maximum of Rs 3,200/gram. A customer can avail up to maximum loan of Rs 15 lakh which is repayable within a period of maximum 6 months.
Foot Notes:
About KVGB:
Headquarters location: Dharwad
Founded: 12 September 2005
Chairman: Puttaganti Gopi Krishna 
 
10. Veteran Tamil Director Babu Sivan passes away 
  • Tamil director Babu Sivan passed away. He began his career by assisting director Dharani, who helmed films like Ghilli and Kurvi with Vijay.
  • Later, he made his directorial debut with Vettaikaaran in 2009. It was one of the highest grossing Tamil films of that year.
10 likes | 0 comment
Like Comment Share
IBT's Classroom Study Materials

Buy Now
arrow