Current affair of 9th September, 2019

Kalraj Mishra took oath as Rajasthan Governor

Former Union Minister Kalraj Mishra took oath as the new Governor of Rajasthan on 9 September 2019. The oath of office was administered by  Rajasthan High Court (HC) Chief Justice Shripathi Ravindra Bhat.

Key highlights:

1. Mishra will succeed former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh. Mishra is a BJP leader and veteran politician.
2. In2017, the 78-year-old leader resigned from the Narendra Modi-led government as Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) after he crossed the age of 75 as the BJP's unofficial age limit for holding an elected post.
3. Mishra is one of the tall leaders in Uttar Pradesh politics. He was the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, member of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

PM Modi to address Annual UNGA session

Minister Narendra Modi is to address the 74th annual high-level UN General Assembly (UNGA) session on 27 September 2019. He will also be holding a series of bilateral and multilateral discussion with his counterparts. Pakistan Prime Minister will also address the Assembly in the session.

Key highlights:

1. Earlier in 2014, PM Modi has given his maiden address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly. This will be his second time to address during the session.
2. On September 22, he will visit Houston where he will address the Howdy, Modi!, the Indian-American community summit. The summit is to be hosted by Texas India Forum.
3. M Modi will also be hosting a special event Leadership Matters: Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary World on September 24 in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber in New York, USA.
4. The event aims to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He will also deliver his speech in the Bloomberg Global Business Forum on 25 September.

The 7th RCEP is being held in Thailand

7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ministerial meeting is being held from 8-10 September 2019 at Bangkok, Thailand.

Key highlights:

1. In the meeting 10 members of ASEAN countries, their six free trade agreement (FTA) partners.
2. India will be represented by the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways Piyush Goyal.
3. After RCEP, he will be holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Russia, Japan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand.
4. The meeting discussed the global uncertainties that have added to the urgency to conclude the mega free trade agreement between the participating nations.
5. A joint statement was issued after the meeting. The statement said that the 16 negotiating partners agreed not to lose the long-term vision of deepening and expanding the value chains in the RCEP.

Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishtan won U17 Girls Subroto Cup International Football 2019 title

Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishtan (BKSP) won U17 Girls Subroto Cup International Football title.The game started with Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishtan (BKSP) enjoying the majority.

Key highlights:

1. The first attempt made by Bangladesh team as Aklima Akter side netted a strike from the right flank.
2. The second half started with Nilmani English School.Bangladesh held their ground and defended their goal by maintaining a very strong formation at the back.
3. Bangladesh doubled their lead in the 29th minute with a goal from Shirina Akter.
4. Sapna Rani's persistence paid off as she bulldozed down the left-wing, leaving the Manipuri defense at bay to finally find the net from five yards out for BKSP.
5. Aklima Akter scored her second goal as she found the back of the net in the 58th minute.BKSP, Bangladesh will be taking back home a sum of Rs 4,00,000 and Nilmani English School, Manipur will be walking away with prize money of Rs 2,50,000.

Vijay Kumar Chopra and Vineet Jain elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman of PTI

Board of Directors (BoD) of Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s premier news agency 71st annual general meeting Vijay Kumar Chopra & Vineet Jain elected as Chairman and Vice-Chairman of PTI.

Key highlights:

1. He served as the Chairman of PTI in 2001-02 and 2009-10 & as the  President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS).
2. He was the recipient of Padma Shri award (Literature & Education : 1990), Munshi Prem Chand award (1991) and his name was also entered in Limca Book of Records in 1997 as the writer of the longest travelogue.
3. Vineet Jain, Managing Director (MD) of Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited (BCCL), the publisher of Times of India, was elected as Vice-Chairman of PTI.
4. He is the writer of Instances of India..He had earlier served as the chairman of PTI in 2010.

Anil Agarwal honoured with a lifetime achievement award at 19th Annual Asian Achievers Awards 2019 held in London

The Chairman of Vedanta Resources Anil Agarwal conferred with the lifetime achievement award at the 19th Annual Asian Achievers Awards.

Key highlights:

1. BBC News Economics Editor Faisal Islam chose for the media achievement award. The Deputy Mayor of London Rajesh Agrawal received the editor's award for public service.
2. The Novelist Jeffrey Archer helped raise GBP 150,000 for India-based charity group Yuva Unstoppable in an auction at the awards.
3. The editor of Asian Business Publication C B Patel. This year our theme was inclusivity.

RBI to launch a mobile app to aid the visually impaired

Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) is to implement the idea to develop a mobile application with an aim to help the visually impaired people to identify currency notes. For this, RBI has selected Daffodil Pvt Ltd.

Key highlights:

1. In June 2018, RBI declared that it would explore the feasibility to develop a suitable device or mechanism for aiding the visually impaired in the identification of Indian banknotes.
2. In May 2019, the Central bank solicited bids from technology firms for developing the mobile application.
3. The application should be able to identify the denomination of legal tender banknotes of Mahatma Gandhi Series and Mahatma Gandhi (New) series by capturing the image of the notes that are placed in front of the mobile camera or scrolled across it.
4. The mobile application should be searchable via voice option in all app stores.

Rafael clinched the 2019 US Open title

World number two Rafael Nadal won the 2019 US Open title. He defeated world number five Daniil Medvedev. This is Nadal's fourth US Open title. He secured 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 to win the title. He received a top prize of $3.85 million.

Key highlights:

1. The Spanish player stands second, only after Roger Federer, by winning 19 Grand Slam men's singles titles. Roger Federer has won 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles.
2. Nadal has won the title previously in 2010, 2013 and 2017. Till date, Nadal has won 4 U.S. Opens, 12 French Opens, 2 Wimbledons, and one Australian Open Grand slam titles.
3. The United States Open Tennis Championships was initiated in 1881. US Open 2019 is the 139th edition of the game. The championship was held in New York, United States.

RBI selects Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd for developing mobile app for visually impaired

The Reserve Bank of India selected a vendor to develop a mobile phone based application for them. The Bombay High Court that an internet connection would not be required for its proposed mobile application which would help visually impaired people identify currency notes.

Key highlights:

1. As many as 16 vendors shown interest in developing the mobile phone based application and five made to Final ranking.
2. Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd selected to develop the application, it added. At present, banknotes in the denominations of Rs 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 2,000 are in circulation, besides Re 1 notes issued by the Centre.
3. The identification of banknote denomination is key to successful completion of cash-based transactions by visually impaired persons.
4. Intaglio printing based identification marks for helping the visually challenged in identification of banknotes denomination are present in the notes of Rs 100 and above

China to invest USD 1 bn in Pakistan development projects

China has announced its plan to invest $1 billion in the development projects in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The announcement was made by China's Ambassador Yao Jing in the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) in Islamabad. It aims to further boost bilateral ties between the countries.

Key highlights:

1. The second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) has been planned to be finalized in October 2019. After the accomplishment of CPFTA 90% of Pakistani exports including agricultural products and seafood will get a zero percent duty.
2. Like this New Market, trade access can increase Pakistan's exports by $500 million.
3. The countries Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. So far, the 2 countries have always supported each other strongly on issues concerning each other's core interests.
4. The development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is being carried out smoothly. CPEC connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province.

US and Turkey conducts joint patrols for Syria safe zone

Turkey and the US military conducted their first joint patrol for a safe zone on the Syrian-Turkish border and northern Syria on 8 September 2019. The move comes after the attack of YPG, the Syrian offshoot of terror group PKK, that caused deaths of 40,000 people as ladies, kids, and infants.

Key highlights:

1. The operation will include land and air patrols for a few days. The patrol will allow the coalition and America's Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) partners to focus on defeating the ISIS.
2. The patrol was backed by unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and helicopters.
3. The operation also includes the establishment of a joint operations center and aerial surveillance flights.
4. The patrol operation aimed to ease the tensions between Ankara and US-backed Kurdish forces. The operation will create a buffer zone to keep the YPG, People's Protection Units, away from Turkey's border.

Amit Shah chairs 68th Plenary session of the North Eastern Council 2019 in Guwahati Assam

Amit Shah hosted the two-day event of 68th Plenary session of the North Eastern Council 2019 (NEC, a nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North East which consists of 8 states of the region) at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati, Assam.

Key highlights:

1. The governors and Chief Ministers of 8 northeastern states Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Sikkim participated in the event.
2. He reviewed the ongoing development projects in the Northeast. He stressed on preparing a roadmap to enhance the rich culture and heritage of the North East region.
3. He also affirmed that the central government will not touch Article 371 which grants special provisions to the North East.
4. Apart from this, he reviewed the development of the northeastern states.

Madras High Court Chief Justice Sends Resignation Papers To President

Madras High Court Chief Justice VK Tahilramani sent her resignation papers to President Ram Nath Kovind three days after the Supreme Court collegium rejected her request to reconsider her transfer to the Meghalaya High Court. The decision to transfer her was taken by the collegium based on the feedback received from the Madras High Court.

Key highlights:

1. The collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, had recommended her transfer to the Meghalaya High Court on August 28. The collegium already transferred Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court, Justice AK Mittal, to the Madras High Court.
2. The collegium carefully gone through and taken into consideration all relevant factors. On reconsideration, the collegium is of the considered view that it is not possible to accede to her request.
3. The collegium accordingly reiterates its recommendation dated August 28, 2019 for transfer of Justice V K Tahilramani to Meghalaya High Court.

PM inaugurated AURIC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC), India's first industrial smart city, in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The programme aims to boost the Government of India's Smart Cities programme.

Key highlights:

1. PM Modi inaugurated Auric hall. The six-storey building will act as the nerve centre for the smart city and monitor the developments across the region.
2. He also launched the Auric chatbot. It will help individuals get their problems addressed by the city administration, all online.
3. AURIC is India's first greenfield smart city. Aurangabad has been planned to be the new benchmark of industrial progress. It is situated in the underdeveloped Marathwada region.
4. Also, in 2018, Centre has approved Rs.7,947 crore to promote sustainable infrastructure. The project has attracted a record investment of Rs.3,600 crore from investors.

PNB puts up 11 NPA accounts for sale to recover dues of Rs 1,234 crores

Punjab National Bank, a government-run put up for sale nearly a dozen Non Performing Assets (NPA) to recover dues of over ₹1,234 crore.

Key highlights:

1. The bank invited bids from Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs)/ NBFCs/ banks/ financial institutions for 11 NPA accounts.
2. The accounts having the bad loans include Visa Steel, which has irrecoverable dues of ₹441.83 crore, IndBarath Energy (Utkal) ₹414.23 crore, Aster Pvt Ltd ₹113.57 crore and Om Shiv Estates ₹100.16 crore.
3. The government lender asked the prospective bidders to expedite the process of due diligence.
4. The last date to submit the bids is 20 September 2019 and the auction will be open on 21 September.

Former Union minister Ram Jethmalani passed away

Former Union minister and eminent lawyer Shri Ram Jethmalani passed away on 8 September at his official residence in New Delhi. He was 95 years old. He was suffering from prolonged illness.

Key highlights:

1. Ram Jethmalani was born in Sikhapur of Sindh province on 14 September 1923. He finished his schooling at the age of 13 and secured an LLB degree at the age of 17. At the age of 18, he became a lawyer.
2. Ram Jethmalani fought several high-profile cases, including Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parekh in the Securities scam of 1992, the defence of Rajiv Gandhi's killer in Madras High Cout in 2001, Jessica Lall murder case, in the Supreme Court (SC), high courts and trial courts.
3. One of the cases he will be remembered for is the KM Nanavati vs State of Maharashtra case in which he was the prosecutor.
4. Jethmalani was elected as the president of Supreme Court Bar Association in 2010. He was elected as a BJP MP in the 6th and 7th Lok Sabha. He served as Union law minister and urban development minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.

Finance minister sets up 6 member task force to implement Rs 100 lakh crore infrastructure projects

The government set up a task force to identify technically and economically viable infrastructure projects that can be started  in the current financial year and can be included in the ₹100 trillion plan for the sector in the next five years.

Key highlights:

1. The task force will draw up plan for the ‘national infrastructure pipeline’ from 2019-20 to 2024-25.
2. The announcement comes at a time when growth has slowed to a six-year low of 5% in April-June.The government has been taking steps to bring India back on the growth trajectory and achieve the target of $5 trillion economy by 2024-25.
3. The availability of quality infrastructure is a prerequisite to achieve broad-based and inclusive growth on a sustainable basis.

Chandrayaan 2 Lander has been located in Moon

Chandrayaan-2's Lander module Vikram has been located on the lunar surface. The Lander was located by the image sent captured by the on-board camera of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. The image also showed that rover Pragyan is housed inside it. The Indian space agency also said the data that was received is being analyzed.

Key highlights:

1. The camera of the orbiter has the highest resolution camera of 0.3m in any lunar mission so far. It is expected that it will provide high-resolution images which will be immensely useful to the global scientific community.
2. The orbiter has 8 payloads to map the lunar surface and study the outer atmosphere of the Moon. The payloads of the Orbiter will conduct remote-sensing observations from a 100 km orbit.

Heartland International Film Festival and USA to explore Special Focus on India

The representatives from the International Film Fraternity of Toronto International Film Festival 2019. The important discussions includes the participation at the Golden Jubilee Edition of IFFI with the Ease of filming in India recent initiatives to promote film facilitation in the form of single window clearance and the growth potential of different verticals under the M&E Sector of India.

Key highlights:

1. The special focus on India for the Festival commencing from 10th October 2019 under the Foreign Language Category.
2. The discussion with senior representatives from the Global-gate Entertainment – Mr William Pfeiffer & Ms Meg Thompson - focused on the policy framework of films under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India – especially in the context of ease of filming in India.
3. The Government of India’s initiatives on ease of shooting, Mr Pfeiffer suggested if the process of incentivisation could be fast-tracked, it would provide value to the structure & framework, which would help boost film-making in India.

Union Environment Minister addresses the 5th Convocation of the Forest Research Institute Dehradun

Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Shri PrakashJavadekar, addressed the 5th Convocation of Forest Research Institute (FRI) Deemed to be University at Dehradun.

Key highlights:

1. The forest officials were responsible for the protection of the wildlife possible without the help of the people living in the forests.
2. The forests contain enough resources for the wildlife so that it is not induced to venture into human settlements.
3. The minister inaugurated the new buildings of Guest House and Women’s Hostel at the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun.
4. The Minister addressed the annual General Meeting of the Institute. The Minister of Forests and Environment for Uttarakhand, ShriHarak Singh Rawat present at the occasion. The Minister presided over the presentation of the annual report and the annual general meeting of the Institute.
5. The Wildlife Institute of India in establishing the unique laboratory to study the genomics of wildlife.