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Current Affairs - 26 October 2020

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1. ITBP observed its 59th Raising Day on 24 October
  • The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) observed its 59th Raising Day on 24 October 2020.
  • ITBP is India’s primary border patrol organization with its border with Tibet (China).
  • It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces of India.
  • ITBP was formed on 24 October 1962, under the CRPF Act, in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
  • In 2020, a budget of Rs 7,223 crore has been allocated for the ITBP and more than Rs 15 crore has been sanctioned for management.
Foot Notes:
About ITBP(Indo-Tibetan Border Police):
Headquarters: New Delhi, India
Founder: Government of India
Founded: 24 October 1962
Director General: Sh Surjeet Singh Deswal

2. Nitin Gadkari to lay foundation stones of nine NH projects in Tripura
  • Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will lay the foundation stones of nine National Highway projects in Tripura tomorrow.
  • The total length of these highways will be 262 kilometres which will provide faster and hassle-free inter-state and international connectivity to Bangladesh.
  • These highways will strengthen the tourism sector in the state by providing better connectivity, fast and safe movement of traffic to various tourist, historical and religious places.
  • It will also generate large number of employment and provide self-employment opportunities to the unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled manpower of the region.
Foot Notes:
About Tripura:
Capital: Agartala
Tree: Agarwood
Governor: Ramesh Bais
Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb
 
3. UP govt secures first rank in disbursing loans under PM SVANidhi Scheme
  • Uttar Pradesh government has secured the first rank in central government's one of the most ambitious schemes - the PM Atmanirbhar Nidhi Scheme (SVANidhi Scheme) by approving the highest number of loans under the scheme in the country.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute loans to around 3 lakh beneficiaries and will interact with a few of them tomorrow via video conferencing. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion.
  • State has ranked first in all the categories - Applications, Sanctions and Disbursements of the loans under the scheme.  As many as 6,22,167 applications were received under the scheme in the state which is highest in the country, out of which sanctions were given to 3,46,150 applicants while the loans were disbursed to 2,26,728 beneficiaries.
  • Seven cities of the state also find place in the list of top 10 cities of the country. Varanasi, Lucknow and Aligarh are the top three cities in the list even as other cities of the state include Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad and Kanpur.
Foot Notes:
About UP:
Governor: Anandiben Patel
Capital: Lucknow (Executive Branch)
Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
 
4. World Bank sanctions Rs 3 crore to set up India’s first Sand Dune Park in Goa
  • India’s first sand dune parks and interpretation centres is set to be developed in Goa.
  • The Goa state biodiversity board has proposed the project, which will be implemented with financial assistance from the World Bank.
  • World Bank has sanctioned around Rs.3 crore under the programme.
  • The Sand Dune park project will have interpretation centres to educate locals and tourists on the importance of the sand dune ecosystem.
  • Park would also have Bridges made of nature friendly material to reduce trampling on sand dune vegetation. 
  • Besides this, nurseries of sand dune vegetation will also be set up, which will enable its replantation on beach stretches where vegetation has gone extinct.
Foot Notes:
About World Bank:
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
President: David Malpass
Parent organization: World Bank Group
Founded: July 1944
 
About Goa:
Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Capital: Panaji (Executive Branch)
Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant

5. Former Union Minister Dilip Ray sentenced to 3 year imprisonment in coal scam case
  • A special CBI court today sentenced former Union minister Dilip Ray to 3-yr imprisonment in a coal scam case pertaining to alleged irregularities in allocation of a Jharkhand coal block in 1999.
  • Special Judge Bharat Parashar also awarded three-year jail term each to two senior officials of the Ministry of Coal at that time, Pradip Kumar Banerjee and Nitya Nand Gautam, and Castron Technologies Ltd’s (CTL) director Mahendra Kumar Agarwalla. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on each on them. The court has further imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh on CTL.
6. UN Secretary-General welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan cease-fire agreement
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the joint statement yesterday  by the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan announcing that a previously reached humanitarian cease-fire agreement will take effect from today, said spokesperson of UN Secretary Stephane Dujarric, in a statement in NewYork.
  • Guterres commended the facilitation efforts of the United States, with the support of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
  • The secretary-general expected the parties to abide by all their commitments and to work jointly together with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to take concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the statement.
Foot Notes:
About UN:
Secretary General: António Guterres 
Headquarters: New York, United States
Founded: 24 October 1945, California, United States

About Armenia:
Capital: Yerevan
Currency: Armenian dram
Continent: Asia
President: Armen Sarkissian
 
About Azerbaijan:
President: Ilham Aliyev 
Capital: Baku
Currency: Azerbaijani manat
Continent: Europe, Asia

7. Pakistan to remain in grey list of global terror financing watchdog- FATF till February 2021
  • Pakistan will remain on the grey list of global terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as it has not been able to fulfil six out of the 27 mandates to check terror funding. The decision was announced by the President of FATF Marcus Pleyer.
  • The FATF strongly urged Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by February 2021. It said, Pakistan needs to do more to check terror funding, adding that the 6 items which Pakistan is yet to address are serious deficiencies.
  • The implementation plan to curb money laundering and terror financing was supposed to be put in place by the end of 2019. However, the deadline was extended in the wake of COVID pandemic.
Foot Notes:
About Pakistan:
Prime Minister: Imran Khan
Capital: Islamabad
President: Arif Alvi
 
About FATF(Financial Action Task Force):
Headquarters: Paris, France
President: Marcus Pleyer
Founder: Group of Seven
Founded: 1989

8. NTPC ranks first among Indian PSUs in Forbes' 'World's Best Employer 2020'
  • National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has featured on the top on the list of Indian PSUs under the ‘World’s Best Employer 2020’, published by Forbes.
  • The recognition is testimony to NTPC’s commitment towards inculcating best in class practices that are thoughtfully designed and robustly executed, the company stated in a statement.
  • The modules have helped thousands of workers from NTPC to grow and think beyond the professional sphere.
  • NTPC has successfully innovated and introduced people practices in the domain of hiring; engagement; diversity and inclusion; rewards and recognition; and performance management.
  • In the recent past, the company has initiated an ‘NTPC Series’ on success stories beyond official work, ‘Ambition, Growth, Success Beyond Work’, a series on the achievements of employees beyond their official assignments.
Foot Notes:
About NTPC:
Founded: 1975
Headquarters: New Delhi, India
MD&CEO: Gurdeep Singh

9. India-assisted Mangdechhu hydroelectric project in Bhutan wins UK engineers’ body award
  • The Mangdechhu Hydroelectric project in Bhutan, constructed by India has been awarded the Brunel Medal 2020 conferred by UK's top engineering body — Institute of Civil Engineers.
  • The award, named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel who is known as 19th century engineering giant, was announced on October 5.
  • The Indian and Bhutanese Prime Ministers had jointly inaugurated the 720MW Project on August 17, 2019. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the project a "crucial milestone celebrating India-Bhutan ties" and "this project shows how the two nations working together can bring immense positivity in the lives of people,"
Foot Notes:
About Bhutan:
Capital: Thimphu
Prime Minister: Lotay Tshering
 
10. Veteran Gujarati Film Musician, Former MP Mahesh Kanodia Dies At 83
  • Famous Gujarati film musician, singer and former Parliamentarian Mahesh Kanodia died at his residence in Gandhinagar on Sunday following a prolonged illness, his family member said.
  • He was 83.
  • "The ace singer, who enthralled the audience through his performances together with his younger brother and Gujarati film superstar Naresh Kanodia, died due to a prolonged illness," his nephew and BJP MLA Hitu Kanodia said.
Foot Notes:
About Gujarat:
Capital: Gandhinagar
Governor: Acharya Devvrat
Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
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