National & International Appointments
1. V. Vaidyanathan re-appointed as MD & CEO of IDFC First Bank
- V. Vaidyanathan has been appointed as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of IDFC First Bank with effect from December 19, 2021.
- His appointment is approved by RBI for a further period of three years.
- He first took charge as the MD & CEO of IDFC FIRST Bank in December 2018, after the merger of IDFC Bank and Capital First.
- Headquarters of IDFC First Bank: Mumbai
- IDFC FIRST bank received universal banking licence from RBI in July 2015.
Important Dates
2. World Suicide Prevention Day: 10th September
- World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed every year on 10 September to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides through various activities around the world.
- It was first introduced in 2003.
- Theme 2021: Creating hope through action.
- It is hosted by International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH).
Honours & Awards
3. IIT Madras retains top spot in overall category of NIRF India Ranking 2021
- Union Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan has virtually released 6th edition of NIRF India Rankings 2021, that ranks higher educational institutions based on criteria to promote competitive excellence.
- List of Winners
- Overall Winner: IIT Madras
- Best University: IISc Bangalore
- Management: IIM, Ahmedabad
- College: Miranda House, Delhi
- Pharmacy: Jamia Hamdard, Delhi
- Medical: AIIMS, Delhi
- Engineering: IIT, Madras
- Architecture: IIT, Roorkee
- Law: NLSUI, Bengaluru
National Affairs
4. Jal Shakti Ministry launches Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2021
- Jal Shakti Ministry has virtually launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2021 under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II at an event organized by Dept of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS)
- DDWS had commissioned Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
- 17,475 villages in 698 Districts across India will be covered.
- Direct Observation of sanitation in villages including public places: 30%
- Service Level Progress on sanitation: 35%
Honours & Awards
5. ICRISAT awarded 2021 Africa Food Prize
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been awarded 2021 Africa Food Prize for improved food security across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa at Africa Forum for Green Revolution (AGRF)-2021 Summit
- ICRISAT: It is a non-profit, non-political public agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
- ICRISAT led a collaboration of partners to deliver the Tropical Legumes Project between 2007 and 2019
Banking & Finance
6. Bank of Baroda launches digital banking platform ‘bob World’
- Bank of Baroda has launched its digital banking platform named ‘bob World’ to provide all banking services under one roof.
- Pilot test of this platform began on August 23, 2021.
- It will converge more than 220 services with an all-inclusive and seamless virtual banking experience, encompassing all digital banking services under one roof for the convenience of customers.
- MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda: Sanjiv Chadha.
- Headquarters of BoB: Vadodara.
Banking & Finance
7. RBI allows tokenization in Card-on-File services
- RBI has allowed two enhancements in card tokenization services. They are as follows:
- Device-based tokenization framework will now be applicable to Card-on-File Tokenisation (CoFT) services as well. CoF means that the Credit/Debit card details are stored by merchants for ease of payment.
- Card issuers (banks) to offer card tokenization services as Token Service Providers. It shall be done with explicit customer consent requiring Additional Factor of Authentication
National Affairs
8. Centre forms panel to frame new law for drugs, medical devices
- Ministry of health and family welfare has constituted 8-member expert committee for framing new laws for drugs, cosmetics and medical devices
- The new law will replace existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 that regulates only import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs and cosmetics
- The new Drugs, Cosmetics and Medical Devices Act will incorporate regulation of medical devices as well
- It will be chaired by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr VG Somani.
Banking & Finance
9. CBDT sets up 3 Boards for Advance Rulings to tax disputes
- Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has constituted 3 Boards for Advance Rulings (BAR) to ensure faster disposal of cases and avoid income tax disputes
- BARs have been made operational from Sep 1, 2021
- Out of the three BARs, two have been set up in Delhi and Mumbai.
- Each BAR shall consist of 2 members, each being an officer not below the rank of Chief Commissioner.
- It will replace Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR).
- Advance rulings of BAR shall not be binding
Science & Technology
10. Hyderabad gets India’s first indigenous Coal Gasification based Plant
- India’s first indigenously designed high ash coal gasification based Methanol Production Plant has been inaugurated at BHEL R&D Centre, Hyderabad.
- The plant was funded by Department of Science and Technology at the initiative of NITI Aayog, PMO-India and Ministry of Coal.
- It can create 0.25 ton per day (TPD) Methanol from high ash Indian coal using 1.2 TPD Fluidized bed gasifier.
- Purity of the crude methanol produced is between 98 and 99.5%.
National & International Appointments
11. Govt appoints 10 merchant bankers for managing IPO of LIC
- Govt has appointed 10 merchant bankers for managing Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), which is likely to be launched in January-March quarter 2022
- Role of merchant bankers in the case of IPO is of Issue management, Promotional activities, Credit syndication, Project counselling, and Portfolio management, etc.
- Name of these merchant bankers: Goldman Sachs (India), Citigroup India, SBI Capital Market, ICICI Securities, etc.
Agreement
12. ADB approves loan to improve water supply infrastructure in Jharkhand
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Govt of India have signed $112 million loan to develop water supply infrastructure and strengthen capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery in four towns in the state of Jharkhand.
- This is the first project of ADB in Jharkhand.
- It will help establish a model for continuous water supply combined with policy reforms for a sustainable operation, providing safe drinking water to urban households.
Important Dates
13. National Mission for Clean Ganga organised Himalayan Diwas
- National Mission for Clean Ganga has organised Himalayan Diwas in association with Naula Foundation.
- Himalaya Diwas is observed every year on 9th September
- Himalaya Diwas 2021 theme: Contribution of Himalayas and our responsibilities.
- Aim: to conserve Himalayan ecosystem and region.
- It was officially declared as Himalaya Day in 2015 by the then Chief Minister.
National Affairs
14. MoHUA launches 'Main Bhi Digital 3.0' campaign
- Ministry of Housing and urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has launched pilot drive 'Main Bhi Digital 3.0'
- It is a special campaign for digital onboarding and training for street vendors under PM SVANidhi scheme across 223 cities in India
- PM SVANidhi was launched in 2020 as a Central Sector Scheme to facilitates working capital loan of up to ₹10,000 with an interest subsidy @7% on regular repayment.
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