Daily Current Affairs 9 September 2021 – Gkseries

Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 9 September 2021, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.

Daily Current Affairs 9 September 2021

Bank of Baroda tops the MeitY Digital Payment Scorecard for 2020-21

Bank of Baroda, announced that the bank has Ranked #1 with a total of 86% marks on the scorecard issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) for the month of February and March 2021. The scorecard ranks 44 banks (Public Sector Banks, Private Banks, Foreign Banks, Payments Banks, and Small Finance Banks) on various parameters on the digital business.

This overall rating was based on multiple factors where the Bank scored above average. These factors consist of the following:

• The exceptional growth of digital payment transactions achievement (129% of 137 Cr. Digital transactions target)
• Achievement of 6 times the target for merchant acquiring in Rural geography target (16,100)
• Achievement of 124% merchant acquiring in North-Eastern States target (6,900)
• Reduction in average % of Technical Declines of UPI from 0.59% in FY 2019-20 to 0.29% in FY 2020-21.
• The declining ratio is the 2nd lowest amongst all large banks.
• Reduction in average % of Technical Declines of Aadhaar Enabled Payment Systems activation from 0.39% in FY 2019-20 to 0.12% in FY 2020-21.

Moreover, the other major parameters where the Bank scored high were system resilience, grievance handling, digitization index, acceptance infra and compliance. With the robust infrastructure in place and the specific management focus, bank is ready for carrying this exceptional performance forward and implementing new digital initiatives and NPCI projects in future.

Indian biologist Shailendra Singh wins global award in turtle conservation

Recently, Indian biologist Shailendra Singh has been awarded the Behler Turtle Conservation Award for bringing three critically endangered turtle conservation species back from the brink of extinction. Shailendra Singh was named to lead the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)/ Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India turtle programme.

• There are 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises in the country.

About the award:

• The award has been bestowed by several global bodies involved in turtle conservation such as Turtle Survival Alliance, IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy, and Turtle Conservation Fund. 
• The Behler Turtle Conservation Award was established in 2006 to recognise outstanding achievements, contributions and leadership excellence in international turtle conservation and biology.

Chandigarh Railway Station certified five-star ‘Eat Right Station’

THE CHANDIGARH Railway Station was awarded a 5- star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers, on Thursday.

The certification was awarded by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) upon the conclusion of an FSSAI-empaneled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5. The 5-star rating indicates exemplary efforts by stations to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.

The Chandigarh Railway Station (CRS) was awarded a 5 star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers. The certification was awarded by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) upon the conclusion of the FSSAI-empaneled third-party audit agency. CRS was selected to upgrade on the pattern of the World Class Railway Station.

About the certification:

• The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.
• According to IRSDC, Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

HDFC-NSIC pact to provide Credit Support to MSMEs

HDFC Bank on Tuesday said it has signed a pact with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) for providing credit support to the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. Under this, the country’s largest private sector bank will also provide MSMEs with a set of specially-tailored schemes to enhance their competitiveness. 

• Partnership with NSIC will help in boosting the MSME Sector growth which is the backbone of India in terms of economic development as well as job creation.
• Under this MoU, HDFC Bank will provide MSMEs a set of specially tailored schemes in order to enhance their competitiveness.
• HDFC Bank branches will also extend support to MSME projects in the areas they are located and other important industrial sectors in India.

National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC)

NSIC is a Mini Ratna government agency. It was established by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in 1955. It is the nodal office for several schemes of the Ministry of MSME like Performance & Credit Rating, MSME Databank, Single Point Registration, National SC-ST Hub, etc.

India to host G-20 summit in 2023; Piyush Goyal to be the Sherpa

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 7 announced the appointment of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal as India’s Sherpa for the G20, an influential grouping that brings together the world’s major economies.

Goyal replaces Suresh Prabhu as India’s G20 Sherpa. Goyal replaces Suresh Prabhu as India’s G20 Sherpa.

• India will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and will convene the G20 leaders’ summit in 2023 for the first time.
• Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Minister has been appointed as India’s Sherpa for the G20 in 2023 (18th edition). A sherpa is a diplomat who undertakes preparatory work prior to a summit conference.
• The 2021 edition of the G20 meet will be held in Rome, Italy. The 2022 G20 meet will be held in Bali, Indonesia.

Cabinet approves PLI scheme worth Rs 10,683 cr for the textiles sector

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for textiles for a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,683 crore to boost domestic manufacturing of man-made fibers (MMF), garments, and technical textiles. The initiative will help to boost domestic manufacturing and exports. The PLI scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2021-22, for 13 sectors, at an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore.

Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya Resigns

Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya on Wednesday resigned from her post citing personal reasons. Maurya submitted her resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind, the governor secretary BK Sant said, according to news agency ANI.

Maurya put in her papers two years before completing her tenure amid speculations that she might take a fresh plunge into Uttar Pradesh politics where the crucial Assembly election is slated to be held next here.

• Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya has announced her resignation from the position on September 08, 2021.
• The 64-year-old Baby Rani Maurya was appointed as the Governor of  Uttarakhand in August 2018, succeeding Krishan Kant Paul.
• Prior to becoming the governor of Uttarakhand, she served as the mayor of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, from 1995 to 2000.

Karnataka Bank launches POS device ‘WisePOSGo’ for merchant customers

WisePOSGo – a POS device (Point of Sales swiping machine) that processes business payments, was today launched by Karnataka Bank in collaboration with Mswipe Technologies Pvt Ltd., for the Bank’s merchant customers.

• The Karnataka Bank has launched an all-in-one Point-of-Sales (POS) swiping machine dubbed as ‘WisePOSGo’, for its merchant customers to process business payments.
• WisePOSGo is a compact, lightweight and user-friendly device, designed keeping in view the specific cost-centric requirements of the bank’s MSME customers.
• The private sector lender has rolled out this POS device in collaboration with Mswipe Technologies Pvt Ltd.
• Apart from processing payments, merchants can also make calls using the WisePOSGo swiping machine.

Ministry of Coal Constitutes Task Force and another Expert Committee to Prepare Road Map for Coal-based Hydrogen Production

On India’s 75th Independence Day, the Prime Minister announced a Hydrogen Mission. Coal is one of the important sources of hydrogen making (Brown Hydrogen) apart from Natural Gas (Grey hydrogen) and renewable energy (Green Hydrogen) through electrolysis. In case of renewable energy (Green Hydrogen) surplus solar power is used to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen. The global emphasis is on substituting liquid fuels with hydrogen (as fuel in vehicles), storage of surplus renewable power as hydrogen (as power cannot be stored at a cost-effective price), and cutting down emissions.

• Ministry of Coal has constituted two committees one is a task force to oversee the program and another is a committee of experts to give guidance to the Ministry to Prepare Road Map for Coal-based Hydrogen Production.
• The task force on coal-based hydrogen production will be headed by Shri Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary Coal.
• The expert committee on coal-based hydrogen production will be headed by Shri R.K. Malhotra, Director General (FIPI).

Book titled “Gita Govinda: Jaydeva’s Divine Odyssey” by Dr.Utpal K. Banerjee launched

Union MoS for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal on the occasion said the energy of youth and the experience of elders can take the country ahead and make it stronger by 2047 as envisioned by Prime Minister. Union Minister of Culture Shri Kishan Reddy Gangapuram launched the book “Gita Govinda: Jaydeva’s Divine Odyssey” by Dr Utpal K. Banerjee, along with an exhibition on “Gita Govinda” and program ‘BujurgonkiBaat–DeshKeSaath’ with l Union MoS for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, today at IGNCA, New Delhi.

• The book is the first-ever fully-rhymed translation of the book GeetaGovindam by great 12th-century poet Jayadeva.
• Union Minister also launched a programme named ‘BujurgonkiBaat–DeshKeSaath’ that aims at enhancing the interaction between the youth and the elder persons who are 95 years and above and thus have spent around 18 years in India before independence.

International Day to Protect Education from Attack: 09 September

Around the world, attacks on children continue unabated, as warring parties flout one of the most basic rules of war: the protection of children. The protracted nature of conflicts today is affecting the futures of entire generations of children. Without access to education, a generation of children living in conflict will grow up without the skills they need to contribute to their countries and economies, exacerbating the already desperate situation for millions of children and their families.

• The UN recognized International Day to Protect Education from Attack is observed on 9 September. The Day was celebrated for the first time in 2020.
• Purpose: to raise awareness regarding the importance of safeguarding schools as places of protection and safety for students and educators and the need to keep education at the top of the public agenda.
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 9 September as International Day to Protect Education from Attack on 29 May 2020.

CCS clears procurement of 56 transport aircraft

 In a major decision, the Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday approved the procurement of 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force to replace its aging Avro planes which were first inducted around 60 years ago.

Sixteen aircraft will be delivered in a flyaway condition by the Airbus Defense and Space of Spain within 48 months of signing the contract while the remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India, according to the defense ministry.

• This decision would provide a major fillip to the transport fleet of Indian Air Force.
• This deal to buy the C-295MW transport aircraft will cost upwards of Rs 20,000 crore.
• First 16 of these aircraft will be delivered from Spain in flyaway condition, within 48 months of the signing of contract.
• Remaining 40 aircrafts will be manufactured in India by a consortium headed by the Tata Group in over 10 years.
• Ministry will buy the transport aircraft from Airbus Defense and Space S.A., Spain.

Significance of the deal

This is the first-of-its-kind deal in India. All the aircraft will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite. Thus, it is a unique initiative to strengthen indigenous capabilities. This project will boost the aerospace ecosystem in India because several MSMEs in India will be involved in the manufacturing of parts of these aircraft. This deal also provides an opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter into the technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation industry.

C-295MW aircraft?

C-295MW is a transport aircraft having a capacity of 5-10 tonnes. It also comprises contemporary technology to replace the aging Avro aircraft of the IAF. It also comprises a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.

Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

After the deadly Hurricane Ida, cleanup crews and the U.S. Coast Guard are trying to locate the source of the oil spill found in the Gulf of Mexico. Recent satellite photos by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed the slick about two miles (3km) off Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Highlights:
♦ Satellite photos from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show an oil slick about 2 miles (3 kilometers) outside Louisiana’s Port Fourchon, 
♦ It is believed that the miles-long oil spill occurred in the  Bay Marchand region in the Gulf of Mexico.
♦ It appears to come from an underwater source at the offshore drilling site. Damaged pipes in the bay may be the cause of the leak.

CSCs Approved by Passport Services

The Common Services Centres (CSC) has received approvals to manage and operate Passport Seva Kendra kiosks in rural areas, sources in the know of the development told The Indian Express.

♦ The Village Entrepreneur (VLE) who runs the CSC will be commissioned to collect the documents, photos, and other details required for the passport process, as well as initial non-police verification.
♦ A nominal charge of up to Rs one hundred should be charged for the same.
♦ The pilot program was launched in some CSCs in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. 
♦ Full-fledged service is about to roll out across the country
 

S&P Global Ratings Projects India’s GDP for FY22 at 9.50%

S&P Global Ratings has revised India’s growth forecast and now expects the economy to grow

• 9.5 percent in 2021-22 (FY22)
• 7.0 percent in 2022-23 (FY23)

India’s external position is very strong and this is quite supportive of India’s sovereign rating despite the fact that we have had this deterioration in fiscal position concurrently. India is expected to post strong economic growth in the coming quarters, even as inflation, led by food prices, is likely to remain elevated.

Sovereign rating: S&P has kept the lowest investment grade ‘BBB-‘ rating on India, with a stable outlook.