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AFFAIRSCLOUD TODAY
Current Affairs 11&12 October 2020 : Headlines
1. DST, IBM Collaborate to promote STEM Career opportunities among Students
2. Goa Becomes India’s 1st ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State by Providing FHTCs to Every Rural Household
3. Delhi Cabinet Approved First-of-its-kind ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’ & World’s 2nd Smog
Tower at Connaught Place
4. PM Narendra Modi addresses RAISE 2020 – ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’ ; IBM
to setup CoE for AI
5. Coal Ministry Launched a Website to Promote R&D Activities in Coal Sector
6. Highlights of Bi- Monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) 2020-21: October 2020
7. Scientists Found New & Rare Perennial Woody Herb “Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis” in
Kasaragod, Kerala
8. Added 544 species to India’s Diversity in 2019: Animal Discoveries 2019 & Plant Discoveries
2019 of ZSI & BSI Launched by Babul Supriyo
9. GBS Sidhu authored “The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&AW Officer Unravels the Path to
1984”
10. World Mental Health Day 2020: October 10
11. World Day Against the Death Penalty 2020 – October 10
12. World Migratory Bird Day 2020: October 10
13. For the 1st time in India, Goa Govt ties up with India Posts to Enroll 11,000 Farmers in PM Kisan
Samman Nidhi scheme
14. GSFC launches indigenous Calcium Nitrate and boronated Calcium Nitrate
15. 16-year-old Aava Murto becomes Finland’s PM post for 1 day

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
DST, IBM Collaborate to promote STEM Career opportunities among Students
On October 8, 2020 International Business Machines (IBM) joined hands with the Department of Science and
Technology (DST) to expand the scope of two DST initiatives Vigyan Jyoti, Engage with Science (Vigyan Prasar).
The initiatives aim to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning
among students, especially girl students to inspire them to pursue careers in STEM.

Key Points of Collaboration:

i.It aims to build a strong STEM ecosystem to nurture critical thinking, problem-solving, and next Generation
Innovations through Inspire Awards – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge).
Inspire Awards-MANAK is a program to build one million ideas rooted in science from school students.
ii.DST and IBM will integrate, and develop Science & Technology (S&T) in the education ecosystem through short
term courses, workshops, mentoring and content communication for teachers and students in India.
Vigyan Jyoti Programme:
i.Vigyan Jyoti Programme was launched to inspire girl students to pursue higher education and career in STEM
fields.
ii.The program provides scholarship, field visit to scientific institutions, science camps, lecturers from eminent
women scientists and career counselling.
iii.It aims to create a level-playing field for meritorious girls from grades 9 to 12 to pursue careers in STEM.
iv.The partnership with IBM will strengthen these activities and will be extended to more schools in future.
v.It was launched in 2019 by DST and is currently implemented by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in 58 districts.
The main focus is to increase the proportion of girl students enrolled in Engineering and Technology to around one-
third of the total.
Vigyan Prasar Programme:
i.Vigyan Prasar (Engage with Science) is a technology-driven interactivity platform which is built on top of India
Science Over-The-Top (OTT) platform.
ii.It was introduced to encourage and inspire high school students to pursue S&T as a career.
iii.As part of the collaboration, IBM will run daily activities of the program which includes student workshops,
seminars, to use its expertise to monitor students.
iv.It will encourage students to interact, participate and use digital tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine
Language (ML) components to understand Cloud, Big Data.
Recent Related News:
i.May 04, 2020, According to a report by NSTMIS, India ranks 3rd globally in the scientific publication as National
Science Foundation (NSF) database.
ii.June 12, 2020, In accordance with the Nature Index 2020 ratings, 3 autonomous institutions of the Department of
Science & Technology (DST), Government of India ranked among top 30 Indian Institutes.

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About Ministry of Science & Technology:

Department of Science & Technology (DST) is a department under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
Union Minister – Harsh Vardhan
Headquarters – New Delhi

Goa Becomes India’s 1st ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State by Providing FHTCs to Every Rural Household
On October 9, 2020, Goa has become the first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ state in the country under Centre Governments Jal Jeevan
Mission (JJM) by providing 100% tap water connections in Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) covering
2.30 lakh households.T he state has achieved the target before time i.e. by 2021.

• There are 1 lakh 65 thousand rural households in North Goa and 98,000 rural households in South Goa in 191
Gram Panchayats.
• Now, to strengthen water testing facilities, the State is in process of getting 14 National Accreditation Board
for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited water quality testing laboratories.
About Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM):
It aims to provide “Functional Household Tap Connection” (FHTC) to 18 Crore rural households of the country by the
year 2024,
• It also mandates training 5 persons in every village especially women in using Field Test Kits, so that water can
be tested in the villages.
Background:
In July 2020, the Central Government allocated Rs. 12.40 Crore for FY20-21 to Goa on the basis of Annual Action Plan
(AAP) presented by the state to the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The funds have been increased from Rs. 3.08 Crore.
• In 2020-21, Goa received Rs.75 Crore as 15th Finance Commission Grants to Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Recent Related News:
i.The 2nd State Food Safety Index (SFSI) for 2019-20 of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has
been topped by Gujarat among larger states and by Goa among smaller states. It was announced during a webinar
conducted on the occasion of “World Food Safety Day” on June 7, 2020 on the theme “Food Safety is everyone’s
business”.
ii.On 13th August 2020, Government of Goa signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Siemens
Limited, India and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), India to provide world class
German dual vocational education and training(VET) in Goa’s Industrial Training Institutes(ITIs).
About Goa:
Capital– Panaji
Chief Minister– Pramod Sawant

Delhi Cabinet Approved First-of-its-kind ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’ & World’s 2nd Smog Tower at
Connaught Place
Delhi has become the first state in the country to have the ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’ for the preservation of trees
which was approved by the state’s cabinet headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on October 9, 2020. Under this, a
minimum of 80% of trees affected by a development or construction project will be transplanted. Also, a minimum of

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80% of the transplanted trees should survive and ensuring this would be the responsibility of the agencies that will
take permission from us.

• In this regard, Delhi government will form a panel of agencies for tree transplantation and the government
departments concerned will contact these agencies.
• The payment of the agencies will be made only if 80% of the trees continue to survive after a year.
Key Points about policy:
–This policy is a part of Delhi’s movement of “Yuddh, Pradushan Ke Viruddh” against the air pollution levels. Under
this movement various measures will be taken under this, including EV, tree transplantation, and preventing stubble
burning.
–It is mandatory to plant 10 saplings as a compensatory effort if one tree was supposed to be cut.
–Tress can also be transplanted by uprooting a tree from a particular spot, lifting it, and planting it at another spot.
–A dedicated Tree Transplantation Cell will also be formed by the Delhi government and local committees to monitor
the transplanted trees and to certify that the task has been done with due diligence.
Delhi to have 2nd Smog Tower in World at Connaught Place
Apart from above, the state cabinet also gave its nod for the installation of the second smog tower in the world after
China and 1st in Delhi worth Rs 20 crore at Connaught Place within ten months. This tower is also a part of “Yuddh,
Pradushan Ke Viruddh”.
• Notably, two smog towers are being installed in Delhi, out of which one will be done by the Centre at Anand
Vihar and the second by the Delhi government at Connaught Place.
• Delhi’s smog tower will suck the polluted air from above and release clean air from the bottom while China’s
smog tower sucks polluted air from bottom and releases clean air from above.
Recent Related News:
i.On the occasion of Engineers Day i.e. September 15, 2020, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launched i-ATS
(Automatic Train Supervision), the first Made-in-India signalling system. It is an important sub-system of the
signalling system for the development of CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) based signalling technology for
metro railway by automatically detecting all trains on a corridor.
ii.On 8th September, 2020, Delhi became the 1st state in India to launch the E-Filing consumer complaint system.
Using this online portal, consumers can file consumer complaints from the comfort of home.
About Delhi:
Governor– Anil Baijal
State Animal– Nilgai

PM Narendra Modi addresses RAISE 2020 – ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’ ; IBM to
setup CoE for AI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated RAISE 2020 – ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’ – A 5-
day Global AI (Artificial Intelligence) Summit which took place virtually from October 5-9, 2020.
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) in partnership with NITI Aayog organized the summit.

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Participants:
Union Minister for MeitY, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Turing Awardee & Padma Bhushan Awardee, Raj Reddy, Chairman of
Reliance Industries Ltd, Mukesh Ambani, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant were present in
the virtual summit.
Around 45, 000 stakeholders from Academic, Research Industry and Government Representatives from 133
countries registered to participate in the RAISE 2020 Summit.
Topics of Discussion:
Topics such as Data and AI-powered Financial services, Atmanirbhar Bharat AI start-up pitch fest, education and
awareness for responsible AI were discussed.
Aim:
It was initiated to exchange ideas and create a course to use AI for social empowerment, inclusion and transformation
in key areas such as health care, agriculture, education and smart mobility.
Highlights from the Summit:
The summit held discussion on topics of AI-ready workforce, using AI for societal problems, and using AI for
pandemic preparedness.
India & AI:
i.According to independent studies, AI has the potential to increase India’s annual growth rate by 1.3% and will
add USD 957 Billion to India’s economy by 2035.
ii.According to experts, AI will address language barriers and will be vital for managing emergency situations like
Pandemic in future.
iii.AI will add USD 15.7 Trillion to the global economy by 2030 and is expected to enhance the livelihood of millions of
people around the world.
iv.India is witnessing rapid development in Integration of AI in the fields of Agriculture, fin-tech, Health and
Infrastructure.
Call for Regulation of Data Privacy:
Chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani called for a regulation to protect data and ensure data privacy.
Four Key Pillars of AI:
The four key pillars of AI are Teamwork, Trust, Collaboration & Inclusivity.
IBM to set up Centre of Excellence (CoE):
i.International Business Machines (IBM) will set up an AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Partnership with Government
e-marketplace (GeM).
ii.It will apply the power of AI to improve usability, transparency and drive efficiency in public procurement.
Highlights from PM Modi’s Speech:
i.PM Modi highlighted the vision to make India as a Global hub for AI.
ii.In April, 2020 AI for Youth Program was launched to educate 11, 000 school students on AI basics. The students
will now build their own AI Projects.
National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to be established to create e-Education units to boost digital
infrastructure, digital content and capacity.

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iii.Atal Innovation Mission has been launched to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship using digital
tools.
iv.The PM highlighted the need for creating an Action Roadmap for Responsible AI out of discussion in the summit
to help in transforming lives and livelihoods of people.
National Programme on Artificial Intelligence (AI):
The Prime Minister highlighted the National Programme on Artificial Intelligence, which will use AI for solving
problems of the society.
Winners of Atma Nirbhar Bharat AI Start-up Pitch Fest:
i.The Prime Minister announced the winners of Atma Nirbhar Bharat AI Start-up PitchFest during the virtual
summit.
ii.21 startups (15 winners & 6 special mentions) were announced as winners of the Government Organised AI
solution challenge.
iii.The startups were announced from industries like healthcare, edtech, smart mobility, transportation, agriculture
etc.
List of Winners:
Winners Category
SigTuple Technologies Private Limited, Artivatic.ai Healthcare
LungXpert (AI-based prognostic app) developed by Sasikaladevi. N Special Mention (Healthcare)
CogniABle, Indiavidual Learning Limited Education
Hind AI Labs Special Mention (Education)
Natural Language Processing
Haptik, Rezo Ai, Enixta Innovations Private Limited (NLP)
Gnani.ai, Devnagri Special Mention (NLP)
Nayan India Science and Technologies Private Limited, RoadMetrics Private Smart Mobility and
Limited, Uncanny Vision. Transportation
TartanSense, Intello Labs Agriculture
Megara Robotics Special Mention (Agriculture)
Sequretek,
GingerMind.ai,
Sirena Technologies Pvt Ltd Others Category
Matisoft Cyber Security Labs Special Mention
RAISE 2020:
RAISE 2020 is a first-of-its-kind global meeting of minds on Artificial Intelligence to drive India’s vision and roadmap
for social transformation, inclusion and empowerment through responsible AI.
Recent Related News:
i.On June 17, 2020 India, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand joined
together to create a Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). The partnership was established for
responsible development and use of AI.
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY):
Union Minister – Ravi Shankar Prasad
Minister of State (MoS) – Sanjay Dhotre

Coal Ministry Launched a Website to Promote R&D Activities in Coal Sector

On October 9, 2020 During the 56th meeting of Standing Scientific Research Committee of the Ministry, Anil Jain,
Secretary, of Coal ministry launched a website(https://scienceandtech.cmpdi.co.in/) to disseminate and promote
Research and Development (R&D) activities in the coal sector. The website was developed by Central Mines
Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI), R&D arm of Coal India Limited (CIL).
This website also promotes science and technology research in the coal and lignite sector.

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Gist about the Website

i.The website displays the guidelines to implement coal research projects with different formats so that anyone can
submit proposals in an essential manner.
ii.In order to ensure transparency and avoid repetitive nature of projects, the website contains lists and outcomes of
completed projects and ongoing research projects
iii.It displays photos, videos and news clippings that are related to the coal and lignite sector. Diverse publications are
also available on the website
iv.In view of the future requirements of India, the website contains identified thrust areas for future coal research.
Key Info
• The coal ministry, through its Coal Science & Technology (S&T) Plan to improve production, productivity, etc.,
has been promoting R&D activities in Coal & Lignite sectors.
• The ministry also provides to accomplish the research work on these subjects.
Additional Info
Presently, the research projects are implemented by national research and academic institutions like Indian
Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), etc., with participation of coal and lignite
producing companies.
About Ministry of Coal:
Union Minister– Pralhad Joshi(Constituency- Dharwad, Karnataka)

BANKING & FINANCE

Highlights of Bi- Monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) 2020-21: October 2020
The 6-member 25th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was held from
October 7-9, 2020 which was headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. Notably for this meeting, the MPC got three
new members replacing earlier ones (Ravindra Dholakia, Pami Dua and Chetan Ghate) as their four-year tenure
ended in September 2020. They were appointed as the external members by the Central Government for a four years
term as the MPC members are not eligible for reappointment.
The new members are:
• Dr. Ashima Goyal, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member
• Shashanka Bhide, Senior Advisor, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)
• Professor Jayanth Varma, Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
• The other two MPC members are Dr. Mridul K. Saggar, and Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra.
During the meeting it was projected that the economy will contract by 9.5% in 2020-21 amid COVID-19 with risks
tilted to the downside: -9.8% in Q2/2020-21, -5.6% in the third quarter, and 0.5% in the fourth quarter.
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth for the first quarter of 2021-22 is placed at 20.6%.
• Consumer price index (CPI) inflation is projected at 6.8% for Q2/2020-21 at 5.4-4.5% for H2/2020-21 and
4.3% for Q1/2021-22.

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It was also decided to keep the rates unchanged which are as follows:
Category Rate
Policy Repo Rate 4.00%
Reverse Repo Rate 3.35%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate 4.25%
Bank Rate 4.25%
The above decisions have been taken to achieve the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4
per cent within a band of +/- 2 per cent, while supporting growth.
–RBI to conduct on-tap TLTRO worth Rs 1 lakh cr; ;Non-SLR investments of banks rose to 1.8% in H1:2020-21
In order to maintain comfortable liquidity in the banking system, RBI decided to conduct on-tap targeted long-term
repo operations (TLTRO) worth Rs 1 lakh crore with tenors of up to three years at a floating rate linked to the policy
repo rate till March 31, 2021.
• Due to TLTROs, non-SLR (Statutory liquidity ratio) investments of banks (comprising investments in
commercial papers (CPs), bonds, debentures and shares of public and private corporates) increased
by 1.8% in H1:2020-21 as against a decline of 3.9% in H1:2019-20.
• It should be noted that the banks that had availed of funds earlier under TLTRO and TLTRO 2.0 will be given
the option of reversing these transactions before maturity.
What are targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO)?
LTRO is a tool that lets banks borrow one to three-year funds from the central bank at the repo rate, by providing
government securities with similar or higher tenure as collateral. This simulates bank lending which leads to efficient
liquidity in the economy.
–In a First, RBI to Buy State Government Bonds; Rs 20,000 crore-OMO auction next week
In a first-of-its-kind measure, the Reserve Bank of India will buy bonds issued by state governments i.e. state
development loans (SDL) in the current financial year (FY21) as a special case via secondary market open market
operations, to ensure they don’t face rising interest costs amid high borrowings.
• The decision regarding this measure has been taken to ensure that financial conditions don’t tighten and to
improve liquidity and facilitate efficient pricing.
• Notably, SDLs are eligible collateral for Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) along with T-bills, dated
government securities and oil bonds.
• According to ICRA (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited) Ratings, State
governments have borrowed nearly Rs 3.76 lakh crore through SDLs between April and the first week of
October, 53.6% higher than during the same period in 2019.
Rs 20,000 crore-OMO auction next week
RBI has also increased the size of each OMO for central government bonds to Rs 20,000 crore from Rs 10,000 crore,
the purchase of which will be conducted next week.

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What is OMO?
OMO is a part of “Operation Twist” to ease pressure evolving liquidity and market conditions. The main purpose of
the OMO is to bring down the yields at the longer end.
–SLR Holdings in Held to Maturity (HTM) category extended till March 31, 2022
The apex bank has decided to extend the dispensation of the enhanced held-to maturity (HTM) limit of 22% up to
March 31, 2022 from March 31, 2021 for the securities acquired between September 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.
• This decision has been taken to give more certainty to the markets about the status of these investments in
SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) securities.
• HTMs are the securities purchased by banks to be owned until maturity.
Background:
On September 1, 2020, RBI has decided to increase the limits under Held to Maturity (HTM) category from 19.5 per
cent to 22 percent of NDTL, in respect of SLR securities acquired on or after September 1, 2020, up to March 31,
2021.
–RBI broadens co-origination model for PSL to “Co-Lending Model”, all NBFCs can collaborate with banks
The framework “co-origination model” that has been put in place by Reserve Bank in 2018 under which there is co-
origination of loans banks and a certain category of Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) lends to the priority
sector subject to certain conditions has now extended to all the NBFCs. Means housing finance companies (HFCs) will
also be able to partner with banks for priority sector lending (PSL).
• From now, this framework will be known as “Co-Lending Model” and the revised guidelines for the same will
be issued by the end of October 2020.
• This decision has been taken to make all priority sector loans eligible for the scheme and give greater
operational flexibility to the lending institutions.
What is a PSL system?
In order to uplift certain disadvantaged sectors of the society RBI initiated PSL lending which mandates banks to
allocate over 40 % of their annual lending to these sectors with sub-sector limits.
–RBI to discontinue system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters
Amid COVID-19, there is contraction in external demand. So, in order to provide flexibility to exporters and to
empower them to negotiate better terms with overseas buyers the MPC has decided to discontinue the system-based
automatic caution-listing of exporters.
• Therefore, now RBI undertakes caution-listing on the basis of case-specific recommendations of the
Authorised Dealer (AD) bank.
What is automatic caution-listing of exporters?
In 2016, RBI launched the system-based automatic caution-listing wherein exporters were put on RBI’s caution list if
any shipping bill against them remained open for more than two years in Export Data Processing and Monitoring
System (EDPMS).
Point to be noted:
India’s exports grew by 5.27% year-on-year to $27.4 billion in September, 2020, after 6-month continuous
contraction while trade deficit narrowed to a three-month low of $2.91 billion.
–RBI allows 24×7 x 365 availability of RTGS system from December
RBI has decided to allow real-time gross settlement (RTGS) facility round the clock i.e. 24*7*365 starting December
2020. This decision has been taken to provide wider payment flexibility to domestic corporates and institutions and
to facilitate India’s efforts to develop international financial centers. With this, India will be among very few countries
globally with a 24x7x365 large value real-time payment system.
• Currently this service is available between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on all working days of the week.
• RTGS facility is typically used by companies to transfer large sums of money for payments or repayments. The
minimum amount for RTGS transfer is Rs 2 Lakh with no or maximum ceiling.
• In December 2019, the RBI made all transactions through the National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT)
facility 24×7.

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–RBI to grant perpetual validity for Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) issued to PSOs
The central bank decided to grant authorization to all payment system operators (both new applicants as well as
existing PSOs) on a perpetual basis, from the current time period of five years to reduce licensing uncertainties.
Perpetual validity here means lifetime validity with subject to certain conditions as mandated by the RBI.
• Currently, the RBI issues “on-tap” authorisation under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 to non-
banks issuing Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), operating White Label ATMs (WLAs) or the Trade
Receivables Discounting Systems (TReDS), or participating as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units (BBPOUs).
–RBI tweaks home loan rules to boost real estate sector
Under the current regulations, differential risk weights are applicable to individual home loans, based on the size of
the loan (particularly below Rs 75 lakhs) as well as the loan-to-value ratio (LTV) and RBI rationalised these risk
weights until March, 2020. Risk weight is the capital that banks set aside after granting loans.
Now, to boost the real estate sector, RBI tweaked rules for new home loans by removing the loan size till 31 March
2022. This will enable banks to push housing loans with attractive offers for high-value properties without worrying
about a higher capital charge.
• Such loans will attract a risk weight of 35% where LTV is less than or equal to 80%, and a risk weight of 50%
where LTV is more than 80% but less than or equal to 90%.
What is loan-to-value (LTV)?
It is used to assess the risk that banks and other lenders associate with a mortgage. A higher LTV for a loan
assessment means that the lender associates higher risk with it. LTV is used to ascertain the loan amount with respect
to the value of the property can be granted to a borrower.
–RBI Revised Limit for Risk Weight to Rs 7.5 cr to Rs 5 Cr
RBI also decided that banks can lend up to Rs 7.5 crore from earlier Rs 5 crore to individual retail and small business
borrowers (i.e. with turnover of upto Rs 50 crore) and still be eligible for a 75% risk weight.
• This decision is on the lines to reduce the cost of credit for this segment, and in harmonisation with the Basel
guidelines.
–Manufacturing PMI for September 2020 highest since January 2012 at 56.8
The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 56.8 for September 2020 from 52 in August 2020. This
rise is the highest since January 2012.
• On the other hand, the services PMI for September, 2020 at 49.8 remained in contraction but rose from 41.8 in
August, 2020.
• PMI is an indicator of business activity in the manufacturing and services sector.
–Interest subvention on MSME loans extended till end of March 2021
The RBI has extended the 2% interest subvention scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on loans
offered by co-operative banks has been extended for FY20-21 i.e. till March 31, 2021. The coverage of the scheme is
limited to all term loans and working capital to the extent of Rs 100 lakh.
Background:
The government had announced the ‘Interest Subvention Scheme for MSMEs 2018’ in November 2018 for scheduled
commercial banks for two financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20 to provide an interest relief of 2% per annum to
eligible MSMEs.
Static Points:
Repo Rate: It is the rate at which RBI lends money to commercial banks.
Reverse Repo rate: It is the rate at which RBI borrows money from commercial banks.
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): The share of net demand and time liabilities (deposits) that banks must maintain a cash
balance with the RBI.
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): The share of net demand and time liabilities (deposits) that banks must maintain in
safe and liquid assets, such as government securities, cash, and gold.
Bank Rate: It is the rate at which the RBI is ready to buy or rediscount bills of exchange or other commercial papers
for the long term.
Marginal Standing Facility Rate (MSF): The rate at which the scheduled banks can borrow funds from the RBI
overnight, against the approved government securities is termed as MSF.

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Recent Related News:

i.On September 4, 2020, RBI reviewed the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Guidelines to align it with emerging national
priorities amid COVID-19 impact. In this regard, new categories are included under priority sector for financing viz.
start-ups (up to Rs 50 crore); loans to farmers for installation of solar power plants for solarisation of grid connected
agriculture pumps and loans for setting up Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants.
ii.On September 15, 2020, RBI issued Draft Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2020 under
Section 45 W of the RBI Act, 1934 to allow foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to undertake exchange-traded rupee
interest rate derivatives transactions subject to an overall ceiling of Rs 5,000 crore.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation– 1 April 1935
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, one is yet to be
appointed

ENVIRONMENT
Scientists Found New & Rare Perennial Woody Herb “Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis” in
Kasaragod, Kerala
A team of researchers discovered a new species of perennial woody herb in the northern laterite plateaus
in Kasaragod, Kerala. The new species “Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis” is named after the
temple Ananthapura lake temple dedicated to Ananthapadmanabha, since it was found in its neighbourhood. The
article on the discovery is published in Phytotaxa, a journal on plant taxonomy.
The article is authored by Punnakot Biju of Government College(Kasaragod), V.S. Anil Kumar and Sindhu Arya of
University College (Thiruvananthapuram), E.J. Josekutty, Government Brennen College(Thalassery) and Jomy
Augustine, St Thomas College(Pala).
About Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis:
i.With the discovery of Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis the total number of the species under
the Lepidagathis genus of family Acanthaceae in India became 34.
ii.Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis is locally known as “Paramullu”.
iii.As of now this species is found only in this laterite plateaus region.
iv.Around 8 species of this genus and 3 varieties are found from Kerala, out of which 4 are found only in the Western
Ghats.
Features:
i.This species grows to a height of 50 to 100 centimeters.
ii.The erect woody herb has a hairy and branched stem, thick and woody rootstock, hairy leaf veins.
iii.The flowers of this species are clustered on one side of the inflorescence.

Added 544 species to India’s Diversity in 2019: Animal Discoveries 2019 & Plant Discoveries 2019
of ZSI & BSI Launched by Babul Supriyo
The Scientists have discovered around 544 new species from India during 2019, the list of these new discoveries
were released as two books, Animal Discoveries 2019 and Plant Discoveries 2019 by the Zoological Survey of
India (ZSI) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). The ZSI and BSI have been releasing these books since 2007 and
the 2019 list marks the 13th edition of this collection.
On 9th October 2020, Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State(MoS) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
launched these two books at an event organised at the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Backyard in
Howrah, West Bengal.
Animal Discovery 2019:
i.The Animal discovery 2019 has listed 364 species as new to science and 116 species as first data from India.

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ii.Among the discovered species, 294 species are classified as invertebrates and 74 as vertebrates and four species
are fossil species.

iii.The list also includes the species of reptiles, fish and amphibians among the others.
iv.With the addition of these new discoveries, the total species of animals in India is 102161, which accounts around
6.52% of the total species on the earth.
Plant Discoveries 2019:
i.Plant Discoveries 2019 has listed 180 new plant species which includes seed-bearing plants, ferns, fungi, algae and
various species of microbes and 73 new data are found from India
ii.The diversity of the plant species found within the BSI is around 50,012, and which accounts to around 12% of all
flora species on the earth.
Key Points:
i.India ranks 8th in the world with 1.02 lakh species.
ii.Around 28 % of all the plants discovered in 2018 were made from the Western Ghats during 2019 and 21% from
the Himalayas, 11% from the East coast, 10% from eastern plains, 7% from west coast and 6% from western
Himalayas.
iii.The maximum number of flora species discoveries were made from Kerala followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
and Arunachal Pradesh.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

GBS Sidhu authored “The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&AW Officer Unravels the Path to 1984”
GBS Sidhu, a former special secretary of Research and Analysis Wing(R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency
authored a book titled “The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&AW Officer Unravels the Path to 1984” that
portrays the first person accounts on the facts and the roles of senior politicians in the creation and sustenance
of Khalistan movement.

The book published by HarperCollins will be released on 24th October 2020.

About the book:
i.The book narrates the series of events that resulted in the rise of Khalistan movement, Operation Blue Star, the
assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and the anti-Sikh violence.

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ii.The narration of the book moves from Punjab to Canada, United States, Europe and Delhi.
iii.The timeline of the book covers 7 years before 1984 and a decade after 1984.
About GBS Sidhu:
i.GBS Sidhu served in R&AW for 26 years and retired as the special secretary in 1998.
ii.He also served as the R&AW Chief in Sikkim capital Gangtok
Book:
He published his book “Sikkim: Dawn of Democracy: Truth Behind the Merger with India” in 2018.
Awards:
GBS Sidhu received the Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1976 from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

IMPORTANT DAYS
World Mental Health Day 2020: October 10
World Mental Health is observed annually on October 10 to raise awareness about mental health issues globally
and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.

The theme for World Mental Health Day 2020, as per the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) is “Mental
Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access”.
Background
The day was started as an annual activity of WFMH by then Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter. The day was
first observed on October 10, 1992.
WHO’s Recent Report
As per the recent report of the World Health Organisation(WHO), India is the most depressed country in the world.
It mentioned that 1 in 7 people from India suffered from mental illness like depression and anxiety from 1990 to
2017.
Joint release by the WHO, United for Global Mental Health and WFMH
Key Info
i.One of the most neglected areas of public health is mental health.
ii.Around 1 billion people are living with mental disorder, 3 million people die annually from the harmful use of
alcohol and 1 person dies every 40 seconds by suicide.
iii.The mental health of people have been worsened by COVID-19 pandemic.
iv.Over 75% of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders do not receive treatment for their
condition, in low- and middle-income countries.
v.On an average, countries spend only 2% of their health budgets on mental health.
vi.Even Though there are some increases in recent years, the international development assistance for mental health
has never exceeded 1% of all development assistance for health.
Campaign- Move for mental health: let’s invest
A World Mental Health Day campaign, ‘Move for mental health: let’s invest’ started in September
Key Events
WHO for the 1st time host a global online advocacy Event on mental health

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On the occasion of the day, WHO for the 1st time hosts a global online advocacy Event on mental health.
During the event, a special prize for a mental health film, a newly-created category of WHO’s inaugural Health for All
Film Festival, will be awarded.
24-hour March for Mental Health
i.On October 9, 2020 People globally were encouraged to participate in a 24-hour virtual March for Mental Health. It
featured people with lived experience among others.
ii.Apart from this, the global partner organizations who are leading and coordinating work on mental health are
organizing sessions on specific themes, including mental health and older people, and mental health and the LGBTQ+
community among others.
iii.The March helps to increase awareness about mental health issues, break down stigma and bring about policy
change
World Mental Health Day Campaign Educational Material
Ingrid Daniels, president of WFMH launched the 2020 World Mental Health Day Campaign Educational Material
“Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access” under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Iman Afzan
Al-Sultan Abdullah of Malaysia.
About World Federation for Mental Health(WFMH):
President- Ingrid Daniels
Headquarters– Texas, U.S.A(United States of America)

World Day Against the Death Penalty 2020 – October 10

World Day Against the Death Penalty is annually observed across the globe on 10th October. The 10th October
2020 marks the 18th World Day Against the Death Penalty which is dedicated to the rights to effective legal
representative of the individuals facing death penalty.

The first World Day Against the Death Penalty by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in 2003.
Access to counsel – A matter of life or death:
The World Day Against the Death Penalty 2020 focuses on the Access to counsel – A matter of life or death, since
the process of arrest, detention and trial of a capital case cannot be guaranteed without the access of effective legal
representations.
Background:
i.The World Day Against the Death Penalty was created in the 2003 by World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and
this initiative manifested more than 180 local initiatives across the globe, supported by Canada, France, Italy, Mexico,
Belgium, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the European Union.
ii.The Council of Europe and the European Union officially recognised the World Day Against the Death Penalty in
2007.
Practice of Death Penalty:
i.Around 106 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and 8 countries have abolished it for ordinary
crimes only.
ii.More than 20 countries executed the death penalty in 2019 and most executions were carried out in China, Iran,
Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt.

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Key Points:
i.The European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirmed their opposition to the use of death penalty in all
circumstances and called for the universal abolition of death penalty.
ii.The members of United Nations (UN) are called out to support the Resolution on a Moratorium on the Use of the
Death Penalty at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in December 2020.
Death Penalty in India:
i.The last execution of the death penalty in India took place in March 2020, where the four accused of Delhi Nirbhaya
rape case were hanged.
ii.As of May 2019, around 371 individuals are under sentence of death penalty in India.
Method of Execution:
i.According to the Indian Criminal Procedure Code, hanging is the method of execution in the civilian court system.
ii.Under the 1950 Army Act, both hanging and shooting are listed as the method of execution in the military court
martial system.

World Migratory Bird Day 2020: October 10

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is celebrated bi-annually on the second Saturday in May and in
October. WMBD 2020, in October falls on October 10. The UN(United Nations) led awareness-raising campaign
highlights the need to conserve the migratory birds and their habitats, as they face threats. The day also aims to
spotlights their ecological importance and calls for their global conservation through international cooperation.
Theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2020- “Birds Connect Our World”.

Key Info
The day is organized by a collaborative partnership among two UN treaties
• The Convention on Migratory Species or Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals(CMS), also called as Bonn Convention and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement
(AEWA), administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
• And the Colorado-based non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas (EFTA).
Reason Behind the theme
To highlight the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that
support the natural movements of migratory birds and that are essential for their survival and well-being.
Key Facts about Migratory Birds
i.The UN Body stated that, Birds are the 2nd fastest declining taxa on earth.
ii.The conservation status of migratory birds is declining globally.
iii.As per the 1st report on migratory species, published in 2020,
• There is a decline in 80% of the species population listed on Appendix I (Migratory species threatened with
extinction).
• There is a decline in 50% of the species listed on Appendix II (Migratory species that need or would
significantly benefit from international co-operation).
iv.The main threats of migratory birds include, loss of habitat, over exploitation from uses, including illegal killing
among others.

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v.COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the link between the wildlife’s over exploitation and destruction of natural
habitats and increased risk of new infectious disease in future.
History
i.Originally the idea to designate the day arose in 1993 in the United States, when the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology initiated celebrations of
International Migratory Bird Day.
ii.The AEWA Secretariat, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2005 initiated the Migratory Waterbird
Day(MWD) held in Africa, Europe and parts of Asia.
iii.The day was initiated in 2006 and established by the Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of UNEP-
AEWA in collaboration with the Secretariat of the CMS.
iv.In October 2017, CMS and AEWA announced a partnership that EFTA joined and combined International Migratory
Bird Day (IMBD) to WMBD.
Points to be Noted
i.India hosted the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) in February 2020.
ii.India takes over the COP CMS presidency from the Philippines and will hold the presidency till 2023.
iii.India has launched a National Action Plan for Conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway, a
flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated
island chains.
About United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNEP – Inger Andersen
Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya.

STATE NEWS
For the 1st time in India, Goa Govt ties up with India Posts to Enroll 11,000 Farmers in PM Kisan
Samman Nidhi scheme
On October 9, 2020 Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar, Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister of Goa in the
press conference organized at Krishi Bhavan at Tonca with Postmaster General Vinod Kumar, stated that the state
government has tied up with India Posts to enroll 11,000 farmers in the Pradhan Mantri(PM) Kisan Samman
Nidhi scheme.

Through this tie up the postman will be utilized to benefit farmers. This is India’s 1st such initiative and a unique
drive.
Points to be Noted
i.Through this tie up, the 11, 000 farmers of goa who could not enroll yet for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, are being
reached at their doorstep through the Postman.
ii.The postman will fill the form for the eligible farmers for this scheme as per the department records.

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Key Info
There are 255 post offices located in Goa and more than 300 employees of the India Post are involved in this
campaign.
Background
i.Overall, 38,000 Krishi cardholders are present in Goa. Out of this, 21,000 are eligible for this scheme.
ii.The Agriculture dept, in 2019 conducted 2 drives, by which 10,000 farmers out of eligible 21,000 have been
enrolled for the scheme.
The remaining 11,000 are reached out through this tie up.
About Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
The scheme provides Rs 6000 per annum for one landholding farmers’ families in the country. The amount is given in
3 equal installments of Rs. 2000 each.
This financial support helps farmers to procure various inputs related to agriculture and allied activities and
domestic needs.
About India Post
The Department of Posts, trading as India Post is a government-operated postal system in India. It is a subsidiary of
the Ministry of Communications.
Recent Related News:
On May 24, 2020 The Department of Posts, Government of India and Department of Horticulture, Government of
Bihar has partnered to supply ”Shahi Litchi” of Muzaffarpur & “Zardalu Mango” of Bhagalpur at the doorstep of
people. Bihar Postal Circle has made an agreement with the Bihar’s Horticulture department for its logistics &
delivery. People can place orders on the website “horticulture.bihar.gov.in” online form May 25.
About Goa:
Governor– Bhagat Singh Koshyari(additional charge with his post as Governor of Maharashtra)
UNESCO Heritage Site– Churches and Convents of Goa

AC GAZE
GSFC launches indigenous Calcium Nitrate and boronated Calcium Nitrate
Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals India Ltd (GSFC) launched an Indigenous variety of Calcium Nitrate and
Boronated Calcium Nitrate. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya launched the products
virtually. Calcium Nitrate is a water-soluble fertilizer in agriculture, and also in wastewater treatment. The
indigeneous variety will provide a cheaper alternative to the farmer community in India.

16-year-old Aava Murto becomes Finland’s PM post for 1 day

As part of the United Nations International Day of Girl Child (11th October, 2020), 16-year old Aava Murto assumed
the post of Finland’s Prime Minister for one day on 7th October, 2020 to raise awareness about gender equality. It
was done as part of the “Girls Takeover” Program. Murto hails from the small village of Vaaksy in Southern Finland.
The Prime Minister of Finland is Sanna Marin, Capital city is Helsinki and Currency is Euro respectively.

*******
Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2020

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GA Questions Asked in Exams

• GA Questions Asked in IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2020 – 90% Questions Covered by AC
• GA Questions asked in SBI PO 2019 Main Exam
• GA Questions asked in SBI Clerk Main Exam 2019
• GA Questions asked in IBPS PO Main Exam 2019
• GA Questions asked in RBI Grade B Prelims Exam 2019
• GA Questions asked in IBPS RRB Clerk Mains Exam 2019
• GA Questions asked in IBPS RRB PO Mains Exam 2019

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