26 September, 2020
International
EAM S Jaishankar participates in Annual Informal Meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Jaishankar participated in the Annual Informal Meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers. The Annual Meeting was chaired by Nepal and was held in virtual mode.
Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, chaired the Informal Meeting, attended by External Affairs Ministers of all the Member States of SAARC.
About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
Secretary General – Esala Ruwan Weerakoon
Headquarters – Kathmandu, Nepal
India ranked 89th among 181 countries in World Risk Report 2020
According to the World Risk Index (WRI) 2020, India has been ranked at the 89th spot among 181 Countries. The World Risk Index is a statistical model for the assessment of global risk of disasters such as earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts and sea-level rise.
Countries with Lowest Risk Index:
According to the Index, Qatar (0.31) had the lowest risk, followed by Malta (0.66) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (0.81).
Rank Country World Risk Index Category (Based on Risk)
89 India 6.62 Medium Risk
1 Vanuatu 49.74 Very High Risk
2 Tonga 29.72 Very High Risk
181 Qatar 0.31 Very Low Risk
180 Malta 0.66 Very Low Risk
About United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security:
Director – Shen Xiaomeng
Location – Germany
India Provided 1.54 billion NR as Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance in Nepal
The Nepal earthquake of 2015 also known as “Gorkha earthquake” had severely affected thousands of lives as well as the economy. At that time, India being the Nepal’s immediate neighbour, was the first to respond with Operation Maitri which provided rescue and relief by its armed forces and also announced a post-earthquake reconstruction package of US$ 1 billion (which comprises US$ 250 million grant and US$ 750 million concessional Line of Credit).
About Nepal:
Capital– Kathmandu
Prime Minister– Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
President– Bidhya Devi Bhandari
National
15th CII – Exim Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held Virtually from New Delhi
15th CII-Exim Bank Digital Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership was held virtually from New Delhi which was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and EXIM (Export-Import) Bank with the support of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was initiated in 2005.
About South Africa:
Capitals– Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein
Currency– South African rand
President– Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa
Indian Railways Extended its MoU with IIT Kanpur for Modernisation of its Infrastructure
Indian Railways extended the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur for modernisation of railway infrastructure.
The MoU was signed by Alka Arora Misra, principal executive director (T&MPP), Ministry of Railways and Prof AR Harish, Dean, R&D, IIT-Kanpur.
India, Australia conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the East Indian Ocean region
Indian Navy conducted a two-day long Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian Ocean Region (IOR) where Indian side was represented by stealth frigate INS (Indian Naval Ship) Sahyadri and missile corvette INS Karmuk Australian side included HMAS Hobart along with Indian Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), and helicopters from both the nations. This excercise was aimed at enhancing interoperability and to imbibe best practices from the other side.
About Australia:
Capital– Canberra
Currency– Australian dollar
Prime Minister– Scott John Morrison
AYUSH Ministry Signed MoU with Herbal Industry Bodies to promote Medicinal Plants cultivation; e-marathon to start on Sept 28, 2020
National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Herbal Industry bodies during a virtual ceremony in the presence of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary AYUSH with emphasis on raising immunity to fight coronavirus infection.
Immunity”. The theme of the e-marathon is “Recharge Mental Health: During and beyond the Covid-19 Pandemic”.
About Ministry of AYUSH:
Founded– 2014
Minister of State (MoS)– Shripad Yesso Naik
Economy
Fino Payments Bank with Fintech Partners Introduced NFC-based Contactless Payments Solution for Mass Transport
Fino Payments Bank Limited(Fino Payments Bank) in association with fintech partners has introduced Near Field Communication(NFC)-based contactless payments solution for mass transit systems, particularly for state bus transport services in India.
About Fino Payments Bank Limited:
HeadOffice– Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Rishi Gupta
RBI Released “’Technology Vision for Cyber Security’ for Urban Co-operative Banks – 2020-2023”
Reserve Bank of India(RBI) released “’Technology Vision for Cyber Security’ for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) – 2020-2023”.It aims to enhance the cyber security in the Urban Co-operative banking sector against the growing Information Technology (IT) and cyber threat environment.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Sports
Miscellaneous
IIT Madras Developed an Indigenous Microprocessor “MOUSHIK” For IoT Devices
Researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras developed the indigenously made microprocessor “MOUSHIK”, a processor cum “system-on-chip” (SoC)for Internet of Things(IoT) devices. MOUSHIK will support the developing IoT devices which are the integral part of the Smart Cities of Digital India.This project was funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Shivangi Singh to become India’s first woman fighter pilot to fly Rafale
Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh to become thefirst woman fighter pilot of India to fly the Rafale combat aircraft that was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force(IAF) September 10, 2020. She hails from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. She is one of the 10 Indian women fighter pilots in IAF.
Kerala Bags UNIATF Award 2020 for its Contribution Towards SDGs Related to Non-Communicable Diseases
Kerala won the UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF)UNIATF Award 2020 for its contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) related to the non-communicable diseases.
About Kerala:
Chief Minister– Pinarayi Vijayan
UNESCO Heritage sites– Silent Valley National Park, Karian Shola (part of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary), Eravikulam National Park, Achankovil Forest Division, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
Result:
