Current Affairs of 28 September

National news

1. Kerala has won the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the prevention and control of Non-communicable Diseases Awards 2020 for its outstanding contribution towards the Non-communicable Diseases related sustainable development goals.
2. Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik and Ministry of Development of North-East Region Jitendra Singh jointly laid e-foundation of Post Harvest Management Centre in Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir.
3. Council of Centre and Industrial Research (CSIR) celebrated its 79th foundation day on 26th September. CSIR has launched a national health care supply chain portal, www.aarogyopath.in and an app called “Kisan Sabha” on its 79th foundation day.
   Headquarters of CSIR is – New Delhi.
   Director-General – Dr Shekhar Mande
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana- “Saubhagya” on 25th September 2017 to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas. This scheme has completed three years on 25th September 2020.
5. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 300 million dollar loan to develop the inclusive water supply, sanitation infrastructure and services in secondary towns of Rajasthan and a 270 million dollar loan for Madhya Pradesh urban services improvement projects.
6. Facebook has associated with Matrix Partners India (venture capital fund) to develop small business in India by providing them with digital skilling support. This partnership is a part of Facebook’s VC Brand Incubator Programme.
7. The Brahmos cruise missile, Nirbhay cruise missiles along with Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) are at the core of India’s stand-off weapon deterrence to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) missile deployment in Xinjiang and Tibet regions.
8. The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has sanctioned Rs 19,444 crore as the first instalment to Haryana, Telangana and Chhattisgarh for carrying out Kharif paddy procurement operation at the minimum support price (MSP).
9. The government has given additional three months’ time till December to millers to undertake mandatory export of their sugar quota allocated for this year.
10. Veera Vasantha Rayer Mandapam of Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamilnadu, is being renovated.

International News

1. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced grant assistance of 15 million dollars to Sri Lanka for the promotion of Buddhist ties between India and Sri Lanka.
2. India has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Denmark in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) Cooperation. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) from India signed the MoU with the Danish Patent and Trademark Office in Denmark.
3. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a virtual bilateral summit with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on 28th September, Monday.
4. Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Moustapha Adib announces his resignation on 26th September 2020.
5. To strengthen bilateral defence partnership between India and Israel, the two nations have formed a new sub-working group (SWG) to promote co-development and co-production of Hi-tech weapon systems.
6. Israel’s Navy and Defence Ministry’s Weapons Development and Technology Infrastructure Administration successfully test-fired a new Sea-to-Sea missile system developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries.
7. Reserve Bank of India has granted in-principle approval for Vakrangee Ltd. under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 to set up Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) to handle payment services related to bills.
8. International Air Transport Association (IATA) has partnered with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) as the first non-government partner to strengthen the cooperation with the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme.
9. The virtual Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond 2020 hosted by China was held on 24 September 2020. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar represented India at the virtual dialogue and the dialogue was conducted on the topic of- Biodiversity Beyond 2020: Building A Shared Future for All Life on Earth.
10. Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to end an accord with the European Union allowing the free movement of people.

State News

1. Uttar Pradesh”s first vulture conservation and breeding centre is set to be established at Bhari Baisi village in Maharajganj district.
2. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will launch web portal Dharani for integrated land record management on October 26.
3. Odisha Government has decided to launch Radio Pathshala program for students up to class 8 from 28th September. The program will be broadcasted from All India Radio stations.
4. The Assam Government has developed a mobile app named
   “Visitassam”. Through visitassam.org, air passengers can download forms, fill them up and show it at the airports to reduce the time in completing formalities for Covid-19 tests.
5. West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with United Kingdom India Business Council (UKIBC) to accelerate industrial development in West Bengal.
6. West Bengal State Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay will join his new posting as West Bengal Chief Secretary on October 1, 2020.

National and International Appointments

1. An apex body of the publishers, Newspapers and Magazines, Indian Newsletter Society has appointed L. Adimoolam as its president.
2. BCCI has appointed Neetu David (Cricketer) as the chairman of the women’s selection committee replacing Hemalata Kala.
3. Reserve Bank of India has roped in Amitabh Bachchan for the customer awareness campaign.

Obituaries and Retirement

1. Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh has passed away recently.
2. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Padma Bhushan awarded economist, urban infrastructure expert and former chairperson of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) has passed away recently.
3. Senior Kerala Congress leader and Changanassery MLA C.F. Thomas has died.

Banking News

1. Private sector lender HDFC Bank launched a Warehouse Commodity Finance App. This will enable customers in drawing down and managing the loan against pledge of commodities online without physical intervention or multiple visits to a bank branch.
2. India’s third-largest private sector bank, Axis Bank Ltd. has entered into a partnership with Bayer’s Better Life Farming initiative in India to enhance comprehensive financial solutions to rural farming communities and smallholder farmers.
3. The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI Governor is scheduled to meet for three days starting September 29. The resolution of the MPC would be announced on October 1.
4. Reserve Bank of India has granted in-principle approval for Vakrangee Ltd. under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 to set up Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) to handle payment services related to bills.

Sports

1. In Tennis, Final Grand Slam of the year, The French Open has been started in Paris.
2. Mercedes team player Valtteri Bottas from Finland has won the 2020 Russian Grand Prix title.

Important Days

1. World Tourism Day is observed every year on 27th September.
   Theme – Tourism and Rural Development
   Host Country- Djibouti
   Host City- Addia Ababa
2. World Environmental Health Day is observed every year on 26th September.
   Theme – Environmental Health, a key public health intervention in disease pandemic prevention.
3. International Day for Universal Access to Information is observed on 28th September.
4. International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is observed by the United Nations on 26th September.
5. World Contraception Day is celebrated every year on 26th September.
6. World Rabies Day is observed every year on 28th September. Theme- End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate.