Top Current Affairs of the Week (10th October - 16th October 2021)

6th India-UK joint military exercise ‘AJEYA WARRIOR’ begins in Uttarakhand

• The 6th edition of annual Joint Military Exercise ‘AJEYA WARRIOR’ has been kick-started at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 8th October 2021.
• It is a two-week long military exercise, that will culminate on October 20, 2021
• AJEYA WARRIOR: It is a joint military exercise between India and United Kingdom since 2013
• The exercise will further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation between the armies of the two countries and develop interoperability and sharing of expertise

India officially joins High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People

• India has officially joined High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, becoming the first country from BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to join the HAC.
• HAC for Nature and People is co-chaired by Costa Rica, France and by United Kingdom as Ocean co-chair
• HAC: It was launched in 2019 as intergovernmental group of more than 70 countries encouraging goal to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 (30×30 target).

PM Modi launches Indian Space Association

• PM Narendra Modi has launched the Indian Space Association (ISpA).
• ISpA is a private industry body to help boost space technology in India.
• ISpA’s founding members include OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries, and Ananth Technology Limited among others.
• ISpA will participate and work with ISRO and others on the issue of policy around space technology and domain.
• It will focus on capacity building and space economic hubs and incubators in India.

Green pacts inked at India, Denmark summit

• India and Denmark signed two MoUs on research in climate change, and setting up a “green hydrogen” electrolyser plant.
• The MoUs were between Reliance Industries and Danish company Stiesdal Fuel Technologies during PM level summit between two countries.
• This was the first summit-level visit to India since the COVID pandemic, and the first State visit by a Danish leader since a bilateral freeze on ties a decade ago.
• Capital and Currency: Copenhagen and Krone

M. Ravichandran appointed Secretary, Earth Sciences ministry

• The govt has appointed M. Ravichandran as Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• He is currently Director, National Centre for Ocean and Polar Research, Goa.
• He has been in charge of coordinating several of India's scientific missions to Antarctica and the Arctic.
• A key thrust of the government is its ‘Deep Ocean Mission.’
• This June, the CCEA approved ₹4,077 crore for 5 yrs for the mission to “explore” deep ocean.  
• Minister of Earth Sciences: Jitendra Singh

Centre imposes stock limits on edible oils to curb price surge

• In a landmark decision, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has imposed stock limits on Edible Oils and Oilseeds for a period upto 31st March, 2022.
• This decision will soften the prices of edible oils in the domestic market
• The high prices of edible oil in international market has a substantial impact on the domestic edible oil prices.
• Future trading on Mustard Oil and Oilseeds was suspended in NCDEX w.e.f 8 October, 2021.

Railways launch two long haul freight trains 'Trishul', 'Garuda'

• The Indian Railways has launched 2 long haul freight trains 'Trishul' and 'Garuda' in South Central Railways (SCR).
• These are twice or multiple times longer than the normal composition of freight trains.
• The SCR launched 'Trishul' from Kondapalli station of Vijayawada division to Khurda division of East Coast Railway.
• SCR launched another similar train 'Garuda' from Raichur of Guntakal division to Manuguru of Secunderabad division.

NMCG & WASH Institute Signs MoU For Capacity Building In Faecal Sludge

• National Mission of Clean Ganga signed an MoU with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Institute to conduct a series of trainings to enhance the quality of service of officials in Urban Local Bodies. 
• This MoU is also to efficiently address FSSM issues in towns and cities of the Ganga Basin.
• The project will be funded by USAID and supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• It aims to improve preparedness towards FSSM and Wastewater Management towns and cities.

PNB launches "6S Campaign" under Govt. of India's customer outreach program

• Punjab National Bank has launched a "6S Campaign" encapsulating different schemes such as - Swabhiman, Samruddhi, Sampark and Shikhar, Sankalp and Swagat.
• This was launched in line with GoI’s "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" for various outreach activities on financial services.
• Aim: to drive special awareness campaign for development of financial services and to accelerate credit growth, improve penetration of social security schemes and drive digital banking push.

G Satheesh Reddy conferred with Aryabhata Award 2021

• Chairman of DRDO, G Satheesh Reddy has been conferred the prestigious Aryabhata Award.
• The award has been given by Astronautical Society of India for his outstanding life-time contribution to the promotion of astronautics in India.
• Dr Reddy is a pioneer in the area of R&D of advanced avionics, navigation and missile technologies.
• He has contributed to strategic and tactical missile systems
• He helped the country become self-reliant in critical defence technologies. 

Germany unveils world's first self-driving train

• German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and industrial group Siemens unveiled the world's first automated, driverless train in Hamburg.
• It is billed as more punctual and energy efficient than traditional trains.
• The train is controlled by digital technology and is fully automated.
• The driver remains on the train to supervise the journey with passengers on board.
• The project partners and the City of Hamburg have invested a total of €60 mn in the digital S-Bahn Hamburg.

3 US-based economists win Nobel prize for societal research

• Three US-based economists David Card, Joshua D Angrist and Guido W Imbens have been conferred 2021 Nobel prize for economics.
• David Card of the University of California was awarded half of the prize for his research on how minimum wage, immigration and education affect the labor market.
• The other half was shared by Joshua Angrist from MIT and Guido Imbens from Stanford University for their framework for studying issues that can’t rely on traditional scientific methods.

Karuppur kalamkari paintings, Kallakurichi wood carvings get GI tags

• Karuppur Kalamkari Paintings, Kallakurichi Wood carvings & Kanyakumari Clove, all three from Tamil Nadu were awarded with GI tags.
• Kalamkari painting is done on pure cotton cloth.
• The ‘Kallakurichi Wood Carving’ is a unique form of wood carving where the craftsmen are specialized in carving temple related products and furniture.
• Kanyakumari Cloves is known for its rich aromatic oil content, with volatile oil content of 21% (normal 18%) resulting in 86% of eugenol.

World Arthritis Day 2021: 12th October

• World Arthritis Day is celebrated every year on October 12 to spread awareness about the existence and impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
• Arthritis is not a single disease but a broad term for more than a hundred diseases related to joints.
• It can cause swelling in or around a joint, resulting in pain, stiffness, and sometimes difficulty moving.
• WAD was first observed in 1996 and this year the theme of the day is Don’t Delay, Connect Today: Time2Work.

Union MoS L Murugan inaugurates Prasar Bharati Auditorium in Srinagar

• Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan inaugurated Prasar Bharati Auditorium at All India Radio Srinagar.
• With a capacity of more than 170 seats, the auditorium is equipped with state-of-the-art digital technologies.
• This auditorium was damaged in 2014 floods.
• A cultural programme by noted Kashmiri artist and singer Bashir Ahmad Tailbali and his troupe was also held during the function.

Noted Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu passes away

• National Award-winning Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu passed away.
• Nedumudi Venu began his career as a theatre artist with the plays of Kavalam Narayana Panicker.
• He made his debut in films with Thambu, directed by G Aravindan in 1978.
• Known for his work in Malayalam and Tamil movies, Venu acted in over 500 movies.
• Nedumudi Venu won three National Film Awards, and six Kerala State Film Awards for his performances.

‘Quest for a Stable Afghanistan’ authored by Sujeet Sarkar

• The book titled ‘’Quest for a Stable Afghanistan: A View from Ground Zero” was authored by Sujeet Sarkar.
• The book was published by Rupa Publications.
• It provides a detailed account of how the haggard and faulty policies of the West have put Afghanistan on the deeper and increasingly worrisome crisis
• It provides a daring new outlook denouncing several myths that colour common global perception of this war-ravaged country, Afghanistan.

Randeep Guleria bags Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence

• Randeep Guleria (Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences) has been conferred with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence
• Award was instituted by Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi, promoted by Lal Bahadur Shastri Educational Society for outstanding achievements of high professional excellence 
• Cash prize: Rs 5 lakh, citation, and a Plaque
• It is presented on 1st October every year on the birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri 

PM participates in G20 Extraordinary Summit on Afghanistan

• PM Narendra Modi has participated virtually in G20 Extraordinary Summit on Afghanistan.
• The meet was convened by Italy, which currently holds G20 Presidency, and chaired by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
• He emphasized centuries old people-to-people ties between India and Afghanistan and recalled that over 500 development projects have been implemented by India in Afghanistan.
• Focus: issues related to humanitarian, terrorism, and human rights issue in Afghanistan 

Indian Shooters win 43 medals at ISSF Junior World Championship

• Indian shooters claimed a historic victory with 43 medals to stand atop in the medal table at 2021 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun that was held at Lima, Peru 
• 43 medals included 17 Gold, 16 Silver and 10 Bronze medal
• USA finished 2nd on the medal table with 21 medals
• Manu Bhaker created milestone record of becoming first Indian shooter to win highest number of medals in single edition.

Tamil Nadu’s Kanniyakumari Clove gets GI Tag along with 2 more products

• Unique clove spice grown in the hills of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, ‘Kanyakumari clove’ has been awarded geographical indication (GI).
• Total production of cloves in India is 1,100 metric tons and of this, 750 metric tons of cloves are produced in Kanyakumari district alone.
• Apart from this, traditional dye-painted figurative and patterned cloth called Karuppur kalamkari paintings and wood carvings of Kallakurichi from Tamil Nadu have also received GI tags.

FIFA unveils ‘IBHA’ as official mascot for U-17 2022 Women’s World Cup

• World football governing body, FIFA has unveiled the official mascot of U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022.
• Mascot is named as ‘IBHA, which is an Asiatic lioness representing women power.
• It aims to inspire women and girls across the world to take the right decisions and reach their full potential.
• It will be the 7th edition of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and will be held in India from October 11 to 30, 2022

International Day for Disaster Reduction: 13th October

• United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction is held every year on 13 October to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction since 1989
• The day also celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face
• Theme 2021: International cooperation for developing countries to reduce their disaster risk and disaster losses

Former SBI Chief Rajnish Kumar launches memoir ‘The Custodian of Trust’

• Former Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI) Rajnish Kumar has come out with his memoir titled ‘The Custodian of Trust – A Banker’s Memoir’.
• Book has been published by Peguin Random House India.
• It gave a rare insight of how the financial system in our country works.
• Custodian of Trust depicts Kumar’s journey from a modest house in the old city of Meerut to being a probationary officer in SBI in 1980 and growing to the post of Chairman in 2017.

Father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, Abdul Qadeer Khan passes away

• Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer, Abdul Qadeer Khan (85 years) passed away, after being transferred to a hospital in Islamabad with lung problem
• He was also called a man who built the Muslim world’s first atomic bomb and father of Pakistan's atomic weapons program
• He was disgraced in 2004 when he was forced to acknowledge responsibility for nuclear technology proliferation 
• He was accused by U.S. of sharing nuclear technology with North Korea, Iran

First pilot plant to convert high ash coal to methanol developed

• India has developed indigenous technology to convert high ash Indian coal to methanol and established its first pilot plant in Hyderabad
• This technology will help India move towards the adoption of clean technology and promote the use of methanol as a transportation fuel.
• Broad process of converting coal into methanol consists of conversion of coal to synthesis (syngas) gas, syngas cleaning and conditioning, syngas to methanol conversion, and methanol purification

PM launches National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity 'GatiShakti'

• PM Modi has inaugurated Rs 100 lakh crore PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity from Pragati Maidan in New Delhi
• Under this, centralized portal will be set up to bring together infrastructure schemes of around 16 Ministries & State Governments on a common platform.
• It is based on six pillars:
• Comprehensiveness
• Prioritization
• Optimization
• Synchronization
• Analytical
• Dynamic
• PM Modi also inaugurated new exhibition complexes of ITPO.

Govt accorded ‘Maharatna’ status to PFC

• Govt has accorded ‘Maharatna’ status to the state-owned Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC), thus giving PFC greater operational and financial autonomy by Dept of Public Enterprises
• It will enable PFC to offer competitive financing for power sector, which will go a long way in making available affordable & reliable ‘Power For All 24x7’.
• PFC was incorporated in 1986 and is the largest Infrastructure Finance Company under the administrative control of Ministry of Power.

World’s first driverless-automated train launched in Germany

• World’s first automated, driverless train has been unveiled in Hamburg, Germany and will begin carrying passengers from December 2021
• Automated trains project is a joint venture between German rail company Deutsche Bahn and high-tech industrial group Siemens.
• It is a part of 60 million euro ($70 million) ‘Digital Rail Germany’ modernisation plan which includes modernisation of Hamburg’s rapid urban rail system.
• Capital of Germany: Berlin
• Currency of Germany: Euro

India ranks 3rd in 2021 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index

• India has retained 3rd rank in 58th Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) released by Ernst & Young 
• 2021 RECAI ranked top 40 global markets of the world on attractiveness of their renewable energy investment and deployment opportunities
• Top performer: US, followed by China
• New PPA Index has been introduced in this edition of RECAI focuses on the attractiveness of renewable power procurement and ranks the growth potential of corporate PPA market

Meghalaya govt launches Special Postal Covers

• Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma has launched Special Postal Covers of Pa Togan N. Sangma and Citrus Indica (Memang Narang) at Williamnagar.
• It was launched to mark the 75th Year of Independence which is being observed as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• It is a befitting tribute of the heroic legendary freedom fighter from the Garo Hills
• Meghalaya will come up with a special financial support to create infrastructure to be dedicated in memory of Pa Togan Sangma at Chisolbibra

ADB raises 2019–2030 Climate Financing Goal to $100 Billion

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced to increase its climate financing goals 2019-2030 for developing member countries (DMCs) by $20 billion to $100 billion
• Prior to this, ADB had announced $80 billion goal for climate financing in 2018 for developing countries in Asia during 2019-2030
• Additional $20 billion in financing support will be used for climate mitigation efforts including low-carbon energy sources, etc
• HQs of ADB: Mandaluyong, Philippines

NHAI sings MoU with TIDCO for development of MMLP in Chennai

• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signs MoU with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) for development of a Multimodal Logistics Park (MMLP) at VOC Port in Chennai.
• It will be developed through Public Private Partnership, providing land and connectivity and the actual MMLP infrastructure to be developed by a private developer.
• All the three stake holders viz, Chennai Port Authority, TIDCO and NHAI will be equity partners in the proposed SVP.

Aadhyaa Aravind Shankar wins Global Peace Photo Award

• Seven-year-old hailing from Karnataka’s Bangalore, Aadhyaa Aravind Shankar has scripted history by becoming the first-ever Indian to win the Children’s Peace Image of the Year-Global Peace Photo Award.
• Global Peace Photo Award is awarded annually by Lammerhuber Editions in partnership with UNESCO and the Austrian Parliament.
• The award honours photographers from around the world whose pictures reflect human efforts towards a peaceful world.

WHO forms scientific advisory group to identify Covid-19 origin

• WHO has announced the establishment of a scientific advisory group to identify the origin of COVID-19 and other future outbreaks.
• WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins on Novel Pathogens or SAGO will include 26 scientists from the US, China and about two dozen other countries to find out the answer to the question of how the novel coronavirus first infected humans.
• WHO group will also be responsible for establishing a framework to combat future pandemics.

RBI issues SFB license to consortium of BharatPe and Centrum Financial ltd

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a small finance bank (SFB) license to a consortium of fintech companies BharatPe and Centrum Financial Services Ltd.
• A new business entity titled ‘Unity Small Finance Bank’ will see Centrum’s MSME and microfinance businesses merged into itself.
• This will lead to the expansion of their digital infrastructure to address the market’s requirement for digital products.

World Students Day being observed today

• World Students Day is being observed annually on 15^th October to mark the birth anniversary of former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
• United Nations has declared 15 October as World Students’ Day in 2010 to honour Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
• The theme of WSD 2021: 'Learning for people, planet, prosperity, and peace'
• Mr Kalam has served as the 11th President of India and worked with DRDO and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
• He was known as the ‘Missile Man of India'.

Country’s first ‘One Health’ consortium launched by Biotechnology

• Dept of Biotechnology has launched the First One Health project of DBT through video conferencing
• This programme envisages carrying out surveillance of important bacterial, viral, parasitic infections of zoonotic as well as transboundary pathogens in India
• One health consortium consists of AIIMS Delhi, Jodhpur, IVRI, Bareily, GADVASU, Ludhiana, TANUVAS, Chennai, MAFSU, Nagpur, Assam agricultural, veterinary university and many more ICAR, ICMR centres, wildlife agencies

India approves $200 million Line of Credit to support projects in Kyrgyzsta

• India has approved to provide $200 million Line of Credit (LoC) support to Kyrgyzstan for development projects.
• They have also signed MoU on High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) to enable the implementation of quick community development projects in various sectors for the benefit of common people under full grant funding by the Government of India.
• Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia.
• Capital of Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek.

Nagaland to host 56th National Cross Country Championship next year

• India will host the South Asian Cross Country Championships in  Kohima, Nagaland on 15th January 2022.
• While the 56th National Cross Country Championships which is also being hosted by Nagaland will be clubbed with the South Asian Federation Cross Country Championships.
• This will be perhaps the biggest ever international event to be hosted in Nagaland and it will bring athletes, officials and delegates from the entire South Asian convention to the state.

CRISP-M tool for Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme launched

• Union Minister, Giriraj Singh has launched the Climate Resilience Information System and Planning (CRISP-M) tool for integration of climate information in Geographic Information System (GIS) based watershed planning.
• The CRISP-M tool will help embed climate information in the GIS-based planning and implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.
• It will open new possibilities for Rural communities to deal with climate change.

‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Prerana Sthal’ inaugurate at Visakhapatnam d at

• ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Prerana Sthal’ was inaugurated at Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam.
• The NSTL is the premier naval research laboratory of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Dr Kalam’s Prerana Sthal will motivate the people particularly young minds from Dr Kalam’s life and his impeccable achievements.
• A statue of Dr Kalam was also unveiled by Dr Samir V Kamat, Director General (Naval Systems & Materials), DRDO.

Food Tech Summit 2021 organised by Ministry of Food Processing Industries

• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries, under the PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises Scheme, organised Food Tech Summit 2021
• The Food Tech Summit 2021 aimed at setting the stage for all food-tech stakeholders to impart, discuss and acquaint micro enterprises on the new emerging trends in food processing and technological innovation
• PMFME Scheme has been launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• Minister Incharge (MoFPI: Pashupati Kumar Paras 

NASA launches Lucy spacecraft, 1st space mission to study Trojans Asteroid

• NASA launched Lucy spacecraft, the first space mission to study the Trojans Asteroids.
• Lucy will journey for 12 years, observing one main belt asteroid and seven Trojan asteroids.
• The swarms of Trojan asteroids associated with Jupiter are thought to be remnants of the primordial material that formed the outer planets.
• These primitive bodies hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.

India slips to 101st rank in Global Hunger Index 2021

• India has slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index 2021 of 116 countries.
• 18 countries, including China, Brazil and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI score of less than five.
• India is behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
• GHI was prepared jointly by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe.
• The GHI score is calculated on 4 indicators -undernourishment; child wasting; child stunting and child mortality

Indo-US joint training exercise ‘Ex Yudh Abhyas 21’ commences in Alaska

• The 17th edition of the Indo-US joint training exercise “Ex Yudh Abhyas 21” commenced at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Alaska.
• The 14-day exercise includes activities on joint training in a counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism environment. 
• The Ex YudhAbhyas is the largest running joint military training and defense cooperation endeavour b/w India and US.
• The earlier version of this exercise was held in India at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Bikaner.

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