01st October 2020 Current Affairs

EXAMSDAILY

National Affairs

World’s longest highway tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’ to be opened by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi

World’s longest highway tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’ to be opened by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi. Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi will open World’s
longest highway tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’ on 3 October 2020. This Tunnel is named
after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

 This is 9.2 km long tunnel which is the longest highway tunnel in the world.
This tunnel is connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year.
 It reduces the road distance by 46 Kms between Manali and Leh and the
time by about 4 to 5 hours.

India Post launched Picture Postcard on Sawantwadi Toy to mark the

occasion of 151 Years of Postcard

India Post launched Picture Postcard on Sawantwadi Toy to celebrate the the
occasion of 151 Years of Postcard in India.

 A set of Post Cards on Traditional Toys of India is scheduled to be released

Online from nine States at a time on 01.10.2020 at 11.00 AM.
 The postcard, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech about the
country's ability to become a “toy hub”.

About India Post:

 Parent Ministry: Ministry of Communications

 Headquarters: New Delhi
 Founded: 1 April 1854

Indian Railway initiates ‘Operation My Saheli’ to increase security of Female

passengers
The South Eastern Railway is one of the 18 railway zones in India initiated the
‘Operation My Saheli’ which is the project to increase the security of Female
passengers from the starting point to the destination.

 Initially this project is introduced in three trains namely Howrah-Yesvantpur

Duronto Special, Howrah- Ahmedabad Special and Howrah-Mumbai
Special.

About South Eastern Railway:

 General Manager: Sanjay Kumar Mohanty

 Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
 Predecessor: Eastern Railway zone

Union Minister for DoNER launches Roads and Bridges projects worth Rs 73
crore

Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region launched Roads and
Bridges projects worth Rs 73 crore. The Minister unveiled 23 roads and bridges
projects in Kathua, Doda, Udhampur and Reasi districts in the Jammu region
through Video Conferencing.

 The projects costing about Rs 73 Crore and having length of 111 kilometers
will benefit more than 35,000 people in the region.
 23 Projects included 15 roads built under PMGSY for all weather
connectivity and 8 bridges for better connectivity to the people.

Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot launches Ambedkar Social Innovation

& Incubation Mission Virtually

Union Minister for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand
Gehlot launched the “Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission
(ASIIM) under Venture Capital Fund. The function is inaugurated virtually
through video conferencing due to COVID19 situation.

Aim:

To promote innovation and enterprise among SC students studying in higher

educational institutions
  This initiative under VCF-SC will promote innovation in the SC youth and
would help them to become job-givers from job-seekers.

Ayush Ministry launched Regional Facilitation Centre for Medicinal Plants

Sector in Pune

Union Ayush Ministry launched Regional Facilitation Centre for Medicinal Plants
Sector in Pune, Maharashtra. Ministry of AYUSH, Secretary, Vaidya Rajesh
initiated Regional Cum Facilitation Centre, Western Region (RCFC) of the
National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) under the Ministry of AYUSH.

 This center facilitates the conservation and cultivation activities along with
market up-linking through different AYUSH pharmacies.

About Ayush Ministry:

Minister of State: Shripad Yesso Naik

Sixth anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban - ‘Swachhata Ke 6 Saal,

Bemisaal’ on Gandhi Jayanti

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has
planned to organize a webinar titled ‘Swachhata Ke 6 Saal, Bemisaal’. The year
also marks the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

 Swachh Bharat Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the

Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid
waste management.
 The event will be an opportunity for all stakeholders to learn from each other
and envision the next phase of the Mission.

Tribes India E-Marketplace – India’s Largest Market of Tribal Products

Union Minister for Ministry of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda will launch –
India’s Largest Market of Tribal Products named Tribes India E-Marketplace on 02
October 2020, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

This Tribes India e-Marketplace is an initiative of the government which aims to

give platform for 5 lakh tribal producers for sourcing of various handicraft,
handloom, organic food products across the country and brings the best of tribal
produce.

About Ministry of Tribal Affairs:

 Union Minister: Arjun Munda

International Affairs

India & Australia reinforce their Partnership on Skilling Agenda

Dr. MahendraNath Pandey, Union Minister for Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship Ministry and Mr. Barry O’Farrell, Australian High
Commissioner to India engaged conference through video conferencing.

 The objective of this meeting is to operationalize & implement Cooperation

in VET to promote development of occupational standards in priority
industry sectors.
 Also, MoU on Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training between
the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Department
of Education, Skills signed between both countries

About Australia:

 Capital: Canberra
 Prime Minister: Scott Morrison

Rankings & Reports

“Crimes in India” Report, Released by NCRB – Crimes against women

increased by 7.3%

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) which is an Indian government agency

responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data released the Crimes in India
Report for the year of 2019. As per the Report, crimes against women increased by
7.3% between 2018 and 2019.

Key Findings:

Category Topped by
 Crimes against women Assam
Crimes against scheduled castes Uttar Pradesh
Crimes against girl children Uttar Pradesh
Highest number of dowry cases Uttar Pradesh
Highest number of acid attack Uttar Pradesh
Rapes against Dalit women Rajasthan

About NCRB:

 Founded: 11 March 1986

 Agency executive: Ramphal Pawar, IPS, Director;
 Parent department: Ministry of Home Affairs

Banking Affairs

Indian Bank initiates IB-eNote – For paperless working environment

Indian Bank launched “IB-eNote”. This is launched by the bank to enable

paperless working environment. The tool is expected to save costs on paper,
printing and other administrative expenses. It will also used to promote digitial
banking.

 The IB-eNote facility is likely to considerably improve Turnaround Time,

save the cost of paper, printing and other administrative expenses.

About Indian Bank:

 MD & CEO: Padmaja Chunduru.

 Headquarters: Chennai, TamilNadu.

Appointments

Apurva Chandra appointed as Secretary of Ministry of Labour &

Employement

Apurva Chandra appointed as new secretary of Union Ministry of Labour &

Employement. Earlier he was serving as Special Director General, Defence
Acquisition, Ministry of Defence.
  He belongs to the 1988 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS),
Maharashtra Cadre.
 He has long experience of dealing with issues relating to industries while
working in Government of Maharashtra and Government of India.

Science & Technology

SHUKRAYAAN to be launched in 2025- ISRO’s Venus Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is the national space
agency of the India, headquartered in the Bengaluru is set to launch its ISRO’s
Venus Mission “SHUKRAYAAN” in 2025. French Space Agency CNES
(National Centre for Space Studies under the French government space agency)
announced that it is to participate in ISRO’s Venus Mission.

About CNES:

 Formed: 1961
 Headquarters: Paris, France

About ISRO:

 Headquarters: Bengaluru
 Founded: 15 August 1969
 Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

Awards

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2020 – The Country’s Highest Science Prize
announced

The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2020 announced for the year of 2020. Swarup
Bhatnagar Prize 2020 which is the Country’s Highest Science Prize declared by
Union Minister for Ministry science and technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan.

 The awards announced on the Foundation Day celebration of the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

List of Winners Details:

Biological Sciences:

 Dr Subhadeep Chatterjee,
 Dr Vatsala Thirumalai

Chemical Sciences:

 Dr Jyotirmayee Dash,
 Dr Subi Jacob George

Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences:

 Dr Abhijit Mukherjee
 Dr Suryendu Dutta

Engineering Sciences:

 Dr Amol Arvindrao Kulkarni

 Dr Kinshuk Dasgupta

Mathematics Sciences:

 Dr UK Anandavardhanan,
 Dr Rajat Subhra Hazra

Medicine Sciences:

 Dr Bushra Ateeq
 Dr Ritesh Agarwal

Physics Sciences:

 Dr Rajesh Ganapathy
 Dr Surajit Dhara

Summits & Conference

UN Biodiversity Summit – India to achieve land-degradation neutrality by

2030
Union Minister for Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash
Javadekar addressed the United Nations Biodiversity Summit. The United Nations
Summit on Biodiversity will be organized by the President of the General
Assembly on 30 September 2020. India aims to reinstitute 26 million hectares of
degraded and deforested land, and achieve land-degradation neutrality by 2030.

Highlights:

 The Theme for this year is “Urgent action on biodiversity for sustainable
development.”

About UN:

 Headquarters: New York, United States

 Founded: 24 October 1945
 Secretary General: Antonio Guterres

MoUs & Agreements

BSE signed agreement with Yes Bank to boost Small Medium Enterprises

BSE(Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd) is an Indian Stock exchange signed an

agreement with Yes Bank to empower Small Medium Enterprises(SME).

 The agreement aims to empower the SME segment through awareness and
knowledge-sharing programmes.
 The Bank will also provide customised services and products to the listed
SME members of the platform and advisory solutions to EXIM potential
listed SMEs.

About Yes Bank:

 CEO: Prashant Kumar

 Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research & TATA Steel signed MoU to
decrease carbon emissions
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and TATA Steel have signed
an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in the field of Carbon
Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS).

 The new agreement will allow CCUS to develop the technology and
accelerate its implementation.
 This MoU is an initiative against climate change and global warming to
comply with the Paris Agreement.

About TATA Steel:

 CEO & MD: T. V. Narendran.

Sports Affairs

New Logo for Sports Authority of India launched by Sports Minister Kiren
Rijiju

Minister of State for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju launched
the New Logo for Sports Authority of India.

 The figure features Indian Tricolour and blue colour of chakra.

 This new logo indicates a the freedom an athlete to his/her career in Sports
Authority of India

About Sports Authority of India:

The Sports Authority of India is the apex national sports body of India, established
in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for
the development of sport in India.

 Founder: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

 Founded: 1982
 Headquarters location: New Delhi

Important Days

October 01 observed as International Day of Older Persons

Every year International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 01. This day
is proclaimed by the United Nations. This day celebrated every year with an
objective to focus on the well-being of the elderly people. The year 2020 is also
been celebrated as “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”.

 The theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2020 is “Pandemics:

Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?”

About UN:

 Headquarters: New York, United States

 Founded: 24 October 1945,
 Secretary General: Antonio Guterres

International Coffee Day celebrated on October 01

Every year October 01 celebrated as International Coffee Day. This day is

celebrated by people to recognise the efforts of those who are associated with the
coffee industry. This day is organised by International Coffee Organization. In
2014, the International Coffee Organisation decided to observe International
Coffee Day every year on the 1st of October.

About International Coffee Organisation:

 Headquarters location: London, United Kingdom

 Founded: 1963