1) International Day of Older Persons: 1st October
•International Day of Older Persons is observed globally on 1st October every year. The year 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 30th Anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons. The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people make to society and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today’s world.
•The theme of International Day of Older Persons 2020: Pandemics: Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?
2) Kiren Rijiju launches new logo of Sports Authority of India
•The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju has launched the new logo of Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) on 30 September 2020 at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
3) Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-launches “ASIIM”
•Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-launched the “Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM)”. The mission has been launched under the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (SCs) in order to promote innovation and enterprise among SC students studying in higher educational institutions.
•The Objective of this fund is to provide concessional finance to the entities of the SC entrepreneurs. Under this fund, 117 companies promoted by SC entrepreneurs have been sanctioned financial assistance to set up business ventures. Under the name “Ambedkar Social Innovation Incubation Mission (ASIIM)” initiative, 1,000 SC youth would be identified in the next 4 years with start-up ideas through the Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) in various higher educational institutions.
4) Gujarat govt signs MoU with Denmark in water sector
•Gujarat Government has signed a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Denmark in the water sector. The state government arm Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board has signed the MoU with ‘Danish Water Forum’ through an online interactive platform.
5) Union Minister launches various services for farmers in Andhra Pradesh
•Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri. D.V. Sadananda Gowda has launched POS 3.1 software, SMS Gateway and Home Delivery facility of Fertilizers (RBK) for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
•Under POS 3.1 version, keeping in view of prevailing pandemic condition, contactless OTP based authentication option has been introduced. Farmer will be able to purchase fertilizer without touching finger print sensor. The SMS Gateway will periodically send SMS to farmer about availability of fertilizer at retail outlet from where he last purchased the fertilizer. Under an initiative of Home delivery of Fertilizers in Andhra Pradesh through Rythu Bharosa Kendralu (RBK) state Government has launched 10,641 Rythu Bharosa Kendralu (RBKs) in all gram panchayats to provide farmers with quality inputs and allied services.
6) South Eastern Railway launches ‘Operation My Saheli’
•The South Eastern Railways (SER) has launched the project, “Operation my Saheli” to enhance the security of women passengers in the train throughout the entire journey from the originating point to their destinations.
7) Dr. Harsh Vardhan launches CSIR Technologies for rural development
•The Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched CSIR Technologies for rural development under a joint initiative of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) and Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA). All of the above have planned to work jointly on a framework for scientific intervention to create sustainable livelihood opportunities in the rural clusters under synergy of S&T Organizations (CSIR/DST/DBT/DRDO etc), VIBHA and UBA.
•The Minister also released CSIR-National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) e-Compendium and e-Coffee Table Book, on the occasion. The CSIR-NISTADS is acting as a nodal CSIR Lab to establish linkages between CSIR laboratories, UBA, VIBHA, and stakeholders.
8) Bengal Peerless appoints Sourav Ganguly as brand ambassador
•Kolkata based Real Estate Developer, Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Limited appointed Former National Cricket Team Captain and Current President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly as it’s Brand Ambassador. He will lead the campaign of Bengal Peerless’s Residential Project Avidipta II.
9) Tata Steel & CSIR signs MoU to collaborate for CCUS
•Tata Steel and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) have signed an MoU to collaborate in the area of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS). The MoU has been signed considering the importance of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) in India’s fight against Climate Change and Global Warming, meeting the growing energy demands and building a strong ecosystem to meet commitments under Paris Agreement.
•As part of this strategic MoU, the teams from Tata Steel and CSIR will work towards accelerating development and deployment of CCUS technologies in the steel industry. These technologies would expedite transition to a decarbonised economy in other carbon intensive sectors like Power, Cement, and Fertilizer etc.
10) RBI defers Basel III provisions amid Covid Uncertainty
•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has deferred implementation of provisions made under Basel III capital due to uncertainty related to COVID crisis. In this regard, RBI will repel the final tranche of the capital conservation buffer (CCB) and the implementation of net stable funding ratio (NSFR) by six months i.e. April 1, 2021.
