1) National Teachers' Day: 5th September
•Teacher's Day is celebrated in India on 5th September in honor of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on September 5, 1888. Dr. Radhakrishnan was India's second president and a great scholar, philosopher and Bharat Ratna recipient.
•Since 1962, India has commemorated his birth anniversary. Teachers Day is an occasion to pay reverence to the teachers and convey them that they hold special respect in our hearts. Celebrating Teachers Day is acknowledged by UNESCO and fairly popular in several countries across the globe.
2) President Laid Foundation Stone of SAUNI Yojana
•President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone of the second phase of link IV pipeline canal of Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana in Rajkot, Gujarat.
•The first phases of link I, II, and III of the SAUNI Project have been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The project is aimed at bringing the waters of Narmada River to the reservoirs of parched Saurashtra region. President Kovind was on a two- day visit to Gujarat.
3) Union Health Ministry Launched Two New Contraceptives Antara and Chhaya
•The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched two new contraceptives- an injectable contraceptive MPA under the ‘Antara’ program and a contraceptive pill ‘Chhaya’ in the public health system to expand the basket of contraceptive choices for couples.
•These contraceptives have been launched in 10 states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha and Goa. The ‘Antara’ injectable is effective for three months and the ‘Chayya’ pill is effective for one week.
4) UNESCO Announced Winners of Literacy Prizes
•UNESCO has announced the winners of the 2017 International Literacy Prizes, which honours excellence and innovation in the field of global literacy. The awards will be handed out to five laureates from Canada, Colombia, Jordan, Pakistan and South Africa on the occasion of International Literacy Day, which falls on September 8.
•The prizes are divided into two categories-
1. The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy sponsored by China, and
2. The King Sejong Literacy Prize sponsored by South Korea.
•This year’s Confucius Prize is given to the AdulTICoProgram from Columbia, The Citizens Foundation from Pakistan, and the FunDza project from South Africa.
•The King Sejong prize is shared by the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance from Canada and the We Love Reading programme from Jordan.
5) Sankara Narayanan Takes Charge as MD & CEO of Vijaya Bank
•R A Sankara Narayanan has taken charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank. He has taken over the reigns of the bank from Kishore Sansi, who reached superannuation on August 31.
•He joined Bank of India as a direct recruit officer in 1983 and has headed various branches.
6) Konsam Ormila Devi Wins Gold at Commonwealth Youth Weightlifting Championship
•India’s Konsam Ormila Devi bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight category on the opening day of the Commonwealth Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting championships, held at Gold Coast, Australia.
•Ormila lifted 57kg in snatch and 76kg in clean and jerk for an overall effort of 133kg, to finish on the top of the podium. With this effort, Ormila has registered her best lift so far.
