1) Hindi Diwas celebrated on 14 September
•Hindi Diwas or Hindi Day is observed every year on 14 September to mark the popularity of Hindi as an official language of India. The language was adopted under Article 343 of the Indian Constitution. The first Hindi day was celebrated on 14th September 1953.
2) Govt sets up Empowered Group of Ministers to oversee OFB’s Corporatisation
•Central Government has constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) to oversee the process of the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the chairman of this EGoM. As part of the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) initiative, the government had announced on May 16 that it would improve the autonomy, accountability and efficiency in ordnance supplies by converting the OFB, which is a subordinate office of the defence ministry, into one or more government-owned corporate entities.
3) India-US hold 2 plus 2 intersessional meeting
•India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting in virtual mode. During the meeting, both sides reviewed the progress and developments in bilateral ties in defence, security, and foreign policy areas. They explored opportunities for enhancing ongoing cooperation in these fields based on mutual interest. They also exchanged views about regional developments, and agreed to pursue their quest for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
4) PM Modi addresses the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in MP
•Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has addressed the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing. Under this, 1.75 Lakh Families in Madhya Pradesh were delivered pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G).
•PM Modi also interacted with the beneficiaries from Dhar, Singrauli and Gwalior under PMAY-G in Madhya Pradesh. Building a house under PMAY-G takes about 125 days but during this period of Corona, it was completed in just about 45 to 60 days which is a record in itself.
5) Odisha govt launches ‘GARIMA’ scheme for sanitation workers
•The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has launched a new scheme named ‘GARIMA’ which aims to ensure the economic safety and social dignity of core sanitation workers in the state. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Department, Odisha has signed a Ministry of Understanding (MoU) with not-for-profit organisation Urban Management Centre for providing the technical support to implement the scheme.
6) Subhash Kamath becomes new Chairman of ASCI
•Subhash Kamath has been elected as the chairman of the board of governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Kamath, who was serving as ASCI vice-chairman, will replace Rohit Gupta, president, Sony Pictures Networks.
7) Jane Fraser named the 1st female CEO of Citigroup
•Citigroup has named Jane Fraser as its next chief executive officer. She will be the first female CEO of this major global bank. She will succeed Michael Corbat, who is retiring in February 2021. Fraser has been a rising star in the financial industry, with a career that spans investment banking, wealth management, troubled mortgage workouts and strategy in Latin America.
8) V Muraleedharan participates in 27th ASEAN regional forum
•Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan participated in the 27th ASEAN regional forum. During the 27th ASEAN regional forum, the minister shared India’s views on maritime security, counter terrorism as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. He also stated that India will co-chair ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) workshops on port security and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
9) ADB & Suguna Foods Private Limited signs $15 million deal
•The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement for $15 million of debt financing through the subscription of nonconvertible debentures for Suguna Foods Private Limited (Suguna). The deal will help in sustaining poultry farming operations, as well as rural livelihoods and food security in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.
•With this deal, the ADB will offer essential liquidity support to Suguna’s operations and also help the company build inventory buffers and make timely payments to contract farmers and suppliers. It will also encourage local lenders to support the business and help attract other medium- and long-term capital and international partners.
10) CARE ratings projects India’s GDP to contact between 8-8.2% in FY21
•The Indian rating agency, CARE Ratings has projected the GDP of India to contract in the range 8 to 8.2% for 2020-21 (FY21). This is more than its earlier projection of -6.4%. The decline in GDP growth by around 8 per cent would also be associated with a decline in the gross fixed capital formation.
11) Japan’s Naomi Osaka wins US Open Tennis Tournament
•Japan’s Naomi Osaka defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to clinch the Women’s Singles title in the 2020 US Open Tennis tournament. This is the third Grand Slam title for the fourth seed Osaka. Osaka previously won the title at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open. She is now the first Asian player to win three Grand Slam singles titles. The victory has moved up Osaka to number 3 in the world rankings.
12) Dominic Thiem wins US Open Men’s Tennis Tournament 2020
•Austria’s Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev to win the men’s singles title at the 2020 US Open tournament. It was Thiem’s first Grand Slam title, and he becomes the first player in the Open Era to rally from two sets down in a US Open final.
•Thiem is also the first player to capture a Grand Slam title from two sets down since Gaston Gaudio at 2004 French Open. For the first time in six years, there was a first-time Grand Slam champion at the US Open.
13) Lewis Hamilton wins F1 Tuscan Grand Prix 2020
•Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Formula One Tuscan Grand Prix 2020 held at Mugello Circuit, Italy. This was his 6th win of the season and 90th F1 win of his career.
•Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) came second followed by Alexander Albon (Red Bull – Thailand) at third place. The Tuscan Grand Prix (first edition) was the ninth race of the 2020 Formula One World Championship.
