Top Current Affairs of the Week (26 September -02 October 2021)

By Dhruv Kumar|Updated : October 3rd, 2021

IMD issues red alert for ‘Cyclone Gulab’

  • India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for ‘Cyclone Gulab’.
  • The Cyclonic Storm ‘Gulab’ over northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal moved nearly westwards during last six hours and lies centred over northwest and adjoining the west-central Bay of Bengal.
  • Sea condition will be rough to very rough over east-central and adjoining northeast Bay of Bengal.
  • Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the east-central and the Andaman Sea.

IMD issues red alert for ‘Cyclone Gulab’

  • India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for ‘Cyclone Gulab’.
  • The Cyclonic Storm ‘Gulab’ over northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal moved nearly westwards during last six hours and lies centred over northwest and adjoining the west-central Bay of Bengal.
  • Sea condition will be rough to very rough over east-central and adjoining northeast Bay of Bengal.
  • Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the east-central and the Andaman Sea.

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: 26 September

  • The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is being observed every year on  26th September since 2014.
  • The day was declared by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2013.
  • The objective of the day is to enhance public awareness about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination.

Defence Ministry places order for 118 MBTs Arjun Mk-1A

  • Ministry of Defence placed an order with Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi in Chennai for the supply of 118 Main Battle Tanks, MBTs Arjun Mk-1 for the Indian Army.
  • The order was worth Rs 7,523 crore with Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi to sharpen the army’s combat edge.
  • It will help in achieving the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
  • Arjun Tank has been designed and developed by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE).
  • Minister of Defence: Rajnath Singh

World Environmental Health Day:26th September

  • World Environmental Health Day is observed annually on 26th September across the globe.
  • It was established that year by the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH), a body of 44 member states, with a goal to raise awareness regarding the health of our environment.
  • The theme of 2021: ‘Prioritising Environmental Health for healthier communities in the global recovery.’

World Rivers Day 2021: 26th September (4th Sunday of September)

  • Every year on the fourth Sunday of September, World River Day is observed to raise awareness regarding water bodies and to promote their conservation. 
  • In 2021, World Rivers Day is being celebrated on 26th September.
  • The theme for WRD-2021 is “Waterways in our communities”.
  • The day was recognised by the United Nations(UN) in 2005 upon the proposal initiated by internationally renowned river advocate, Mark Angelo.

 

SC introduces Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records system

  • Supreme Court of India (SC) has approved an electronic system named FASTER (Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records) system, used for transferring e-authenticated copies from courts to prisons.
  • The system is meant to ensure that undertrials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders were late to reach the prison.

Harshal Patel becomes third RCB player to take a hat-trick in IPL

  • Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler Harshal Patel took a hat-trick against the defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2021 encounter in Dubai.
  • This is the first hat-trick of the IPL -2021 season.
  • Harshal also became the third RCB bowler to take a hat-trick in IPL, with Praveen Kumar and Samuel Badree being the first two to do so.
  • hat-trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match,

Lewis Hamilton wins the Russian Grand Prix 2021

  • Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won F1 Russian Grand Prix 2021, winning his 100th Grand Prix title, which was held at at Sochi Autodrom
  • Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) came second, followed by Carlos Sainz (Ferrari-Spain) in the Russian Grand Prix 2021
  • Carlos Sainz got his first podium in Russia.
  • Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) stood at 5th position
  • This was the 15th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.

PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

  • PM Narendra Modi has launched Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to provide a digital health ID to people that will contain their health records.
  • Aim: enable access and exchange of longitudinal health records of citizens with their consent
  • Currently, It is being implemented in a pilot phase, since August 2020 in six union territories.
  • Components: Health ID linked and viewed with mobile application, Healthcare Professionals Registry and Healthcare Facilities Registries.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam wins silver medal at World Archery Championship

  • Jyothi Surekha Vennam has won silver medal in the women’s compound event at World Archery Championship, which is being held in Yankton.
  • Sara Lopez of Colombia bagged the gold medal by defeating Jyothi by 146-144 in the Finals.
  • Indian mixed pair duo of Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost to the Colombian pair in the summit clash as well
  • Jyothi Surekha won two bronze medals at 2011 Asian Archery Championships.

Noted women’s right activist and author, Kamla Bhasin passes away

  • Women’s rights activist and noted author, Kamla Bhasin (75 years) passed away battling cancer in Delhi
  • She has authored several books, especially on gender theory and feminism, many of which have been translated into more than 30 languages.
  • She started working on developmental issues in 1970s
  • She was best known for her work with Sangat - A Feminist Network and for her poem Kyunki main ladki hoon, mujhe padhna hai.

Tourism Ministry launches NIDHI 2.0 and India Tourism Statistics

  • Ministry of Tourism launched NIDHI 2.0 (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry) and ‘India Tourism Statistics – At a Glance, 2021’ on World Tourism Day (27 September 2021).
  • Apart from this, Ministry of Tourism will sign MoU with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) to actively promote and support ‘sustainability initiatives’ in the tourism sector of each other.

RBI issues new rules for securitization of standard assets, loan transfer

  • RBI has issued guidelines regarding Securitization of Standard Assets and loan transfer that will be applicable to all scheduled commercial banks, excluding RRBs, all-India term financial institutions, small finance banks and NBFCs
  • As per the guidelines of RBI, minimum ticket size for issuance of securitization notes will be Rs.1 crore
  • Minimum holding period for different categories of loans after which they shall become eligible for transfer has been prescribed in it

 

Union Minister launches DD/AIR Transmitters at Hamboting La in Ladakh

  • Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has launched 10 KW High Power Transmitters of Doordarshan and All India Radio at Hamboting La near Kargil in Ladakh
  • The transmitters are the highest altitude TV and Radio transmitters in the country, located at the height of 4054 metres above the mean sea level.
  • Transmitters at Leh are at the altitude of 3501 metres.
  • Range of the transmitters is over 50 Kms in radius and will cover a population of about 50,000 in Kargil

Gurbirpal Singh takes over as Director General of NCC

  • Lt General Gurbirpal Singh has taken over as the 34th Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC) with effect from September 27, 2021
  • He succeeded Tarun Kumar Aich
  • He was commissioned into Parachute Regiment in 1987
  • He has commanded a Special Forces Battalion in the intense counter-terrorism environment of the Valley Sector in Kashmir and also in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
  • NCC is the youth wing of Indian Armed Forces
  • Headquarters of NCC: New Delhi

Sweet Cucumber of Nagaland gets geographical indication (GI) tag

  • Sweet Cucumber from Nagaland has officially been certified by India’s Registrar of Geographical Indications (GI).
  • It is the 3rd agricultural products (Other two are Tree tomato (tamarillo) and Naga king chilli) and 4th overall to be granted GI tag from Nagaland
  • GI tag has been granted under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
  • Naga cucumber are mostly cultivated in Mon, Mokokchung, Peren and Wokha districts

International Day for Universal Access to Information: 28th September

  • International Day for the Universal Access to Information (Access to Information Day) is observed every year on 28 September to raise awareness about equal, healthy and inclusive knowledge societies.
  • Initially, it was designated by UNESCO in November 2015 and was first held on 28 September 2016.
  • It was later proclaimed on 15 October 2019 at 74th UN General Assembly.
  • Theme 2021: The Right to Know – Building Back Better with Access to Information.

World Rabies Day: 28th September

  • World Rabies Day is being observed annually on September 28 to raise awareness about the impact of rabies on humans and animals, provide information and advice on how to prevent the disease and take efforts to control rabies.
  • 2021 is the 15th edition of World Rabies Day.
  • Theme of WRD 2021: Rabies: Facts, not Fear.
  • The day marks the death anniversary of the French chemist and microbiologist, Louis Pasteur, who developed the first rabies vaccine

India claims three silver medals at 2021 Archery World Championships

  • Team India archers settled for three silver medals at 2021 World Archery Championships held in Yankton, US from 20th to 26th September 2021
  • Three silver medals were won in Women’s Compound Individual, Women’s Compound Team and Compound Mixed Team competitions.
  • Silver Medal won by India:
    • Women’s Compound Individual: Jyothi Surekha Vennam
    • Women’s Compound Team: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Muskar Kirar, Priya Gurjar
    • Compound Mixed Team: Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam

4th Indo-US Health Dialogue held in New Delhi

  • Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin Pawar has led Indian delegation at 4th Indo-US Health Dialogue, held in New Delhi
  • It is a two-day Dialogue and is a platform to deliberate upon multiple ongoing collaborations in the health sector between the two countries.
  • Topics for deliberations will include area pertaining to the strengthening of epidemiological research and surveillance and vaccine development.

England all-rounder Moeen Ali announces retirement from Test cricket

  • England cricket all-rounder Moeen Ali (34 years) has announced his retirement from Test match career.
  • He made his debut in Test cricket in 2014 and represented England in 64 Test matches.
  • He took 195 Test wickets including 5 five-wicket hauls and scored five Test match centuries during his Test career.
  • He affable all-rounder scored 2914 runs at 28.29 and took 195 wickets at 36.66 with his off-spin.

 Science & Technology

DRDO conducts maiden flight test of Akash Prime Missile off Odisha Coast

  • DRDO has successfully conducted maiden test flight of new version of Akash Missile named as ‘Akash Prime’ from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.
  • Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for improved accuracy, as compared to the existing Akash System.
  • Improved version of the missile will also ensure more reliable performance under low temperature environments at higher altitudes
  • Chairman DRDO: G Satheesh Reddy

PM Narendra Modi addresses 76th UNGA in New York

  • Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has addressed 76th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
  • Theme 2021: Building resilience through hope – to recover from Covid-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations.
  • Over 109 heads of state and government addressed UN General Assembly while around 60 addressed the debate through pre-recorded video statements at the event.

IGL and SDMC ink MoU to establish Waste to Energy Plant

  • Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has signed MoU with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to establish waste to energy plant in Delhi to convert Municipal Solid Waste into Compressed Biogas (CBG) for use as fuel for running vehicles
  • The agreement was signed as a part of extension of Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme
  • SDMC shall provide designated area in Hastsal in West Zone to IGL for setting up Biogas plant and CBG Station.

Sania Mirza-Shuai Zhang wins 2021 Ostrava Open Women’s Doubles Title

  • Indo-Chinese duo of Sania Mirza and Shuai Zhang clinched Women’s double’s title at the 2021 Ostrava Open WTA 500 tournament in Czech Republic
  • They won the title by 6-3, 6-2 against Kaitlyn Christian (US) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand).
  • This is the 43rd WTA doubles title victory for former World No.1 Sania Mirza
  • 2021 Ostrava Open Women’s single title: Anett Kontaveit won her maiden WTA 500 title, after defeating Maria Sakkari in the final by 6–2, 7–5.

World Heart Day: 29th September

  • World Heart Day (WHD) is observed every year on 29th September to draw people’s attention to heart illness and the range of associated health issues.
  • Theme of WHD 2021: ‘USE HEART to connect’.
  • WHD was created by World Heart Federation in 1999 to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke.
  • It was originally celebrated on the last Sunday in September till 2011.

Sojat Mehndi from Rajasthan and Judima rice wine from Assam gets GI tag

  • Home-made rice wine from Assam, Judima and Sojat Mehndi (Henna) from Rajasthan has been awarded geographical indication (GI) tag.
  • Judima: Local fermented drink made with rice, brewed by Dimasa community in Assam. It is the first traditional brew of northeast to bag GI tag.
  • Sojat tehsil of Pali district, Rajasthan has suitable geological structure, topography and drainage system, climate, and soil for naturally cultivating the mehndi leave crop.

RBI sets WMA Limit for Central Government at Rs. 50,000 crore

  • RBI has set the limit for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the second half of FY 2021-22 (Oct 2021 to March 2022) at Rs 50,000 crores.
  • RBI may trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the Government of India utilizes 75% of the WMA limit.
  • Interest rate on WMA/overdraft will be:
    • For WMA: Repo Rate
    • For Overdraft: Two percent above the Repo Rate
  • WMAs are short-term advances given by central bank to help states tide over temporary mismatches in their cash flow.

Centre extends existing foreign trade policy (FTP) till March 2022

  • Ministry of Commerce and Industry has further extended Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20, till March 31, 2022.
  • This is the third extension to FTP policy.
  • First extension was given on March 31, 2020 for one year till March 2021, due to Covid outbreak and nationwide lockdown and was again extended till September 30, 2021
  • FTP 2015-20 provides guidelines for increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of employment

11 scientists receive 2021 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes

  • 11 scientists have been felicitated with Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2021, which is the highest science-tech award in India
  • Winners:
    • Biological Sciences: Amit Singh, Arun Kumar Shukla
    • Chemical Sciences: Kanishka Biswas, T Govindaraju
    • Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences: Binoy Kumar Saikia
    • Engineering Sciences: Debdeep Mukhopadhyay
    • Maths: Anish Ghosh, Saket Saurabh
    • Medical Sciences: Jeemon Panniyammakal, Rohit Srivastava
    • Physical Sciences: Kanak Saha

Govt sets up GoM to rationalise GST rates

  • Central government has formed 7-member group of ministers (GoM) for proposing a rationalization of tax rates and considering the merger of different tax slabs under GST.
  • It will be headed by Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj S. Bommai.
  • Government has formed one more GoM which will look at tapping IT tools to minimize tax evasion and make compliance easier for taxpayers. Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra deputy CM has been made the convenor of this GoM.

PM Modi launches 35 crop varieties to tackle climate change, malnutrition

  • PM Narendra Modi has dedicated virtually 35 crop varieties with special traits.
  • He also dedicated newly constructed campus of National Institute of Biotic Stress Management Raipur to the nation and distributed Green Campus Award to Agricultural Universities.
  • 35 varieties include drought tolerant variety of chickpea, wilt and sterility mosaic resistant pigeonpea, early maturing soybean, disease resistant varieties of rice and biofortified varieties of wheat, etc.

North Korea test newly developed hypersonic missile

  • North Korea has tested newly developed Hwasong-8 type hypersonic missile towards the sea off its east coast, Jagang Province.
  • The development of the weapon system increases North Korea’s defence capabilities.
  • Hwasong series missiles use liquid propellant engines
  • This is the first test of a liquid propellant missile in North Korea since November 2017.
  • Prime Minister of North Korea: Kim Jong-un.

Western Naval Command Sailing Championship-2021 conducted

  • Western Naval Command Sailing Championship-2021 has been conducted at Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre (INWTC), Mumbai 
  • 59 personnel from seven teams participated in this championship.
  • It was conducted in seven different classes of boats: Laser (Standard), Laser (Radial), Laser (Bahiya), Enterprise, Bic-Nova, 29-er, J24
  • Concept of team racing in Enterprise Class and match racing in J24 class of boats was reintroduced to facilitate wider participation

CK Ranganathan appointed as new President of AIMA

  • C K Ranganathan has been appointed as the new President of All India Management Association (AIMA) during National Management Convention 2021.
  • His tenure will be valid for 1 year till September 2022
  • He is the Chairman & MD of CavinKare
  • He succeeded Harsh Pati Singhania (JK Paper Vice Chairman & Managing Director).
  • AIMA: National apex statutory body under Ministry of Corporate Affairs for the regulation and licensing of management profession in India. 

Indian and Australian Navy signs ToR for bilateral cooperation

  • Indian Navy has signed Terms of Reference (ToR) with Australian Navy for the conduct of navy to navy talks under ‘Joint Guidance for the India-Australia Navy to Navy Relationship’ document framework
  • This is the first such document signed by Indian Navy with any country.
  • Document set navy to navy talks as the principal medium for guiding the bilateral cooperation
  • It provided flexibility for the implementation of separate agreements on the specific outcomes of the talks.

Govt increases income limit of disabled dependents for family pension

  • Ministry of Defence has increased limit of eligibility of Children/Siblings suffering from mental or physical disability for family pension.
  • Child/sibling will be eligible for family pension for life, if his/her overall income from sources other than family pension is less than 30% of the last pay drawn by deceased govt servant/pensioner concerned plus the dearness relief admissible thereon.
  • Earlier eligibility limit was Rs 9000.

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launches Elder Line

  • Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched first Pan-India helpline for senior citizens ‘Elder Line’.
  • Toll-free number for Elder Line is 14567.
  • It will allow senior citizens to connect and share their concerns, get information and guidance on problems that they face on a day-to-day basis.
  • It will provide free information and guidance on pension issues, legal issues, extend emotional support, etc
  • Technical partners: Tata Trusts and NSE Foundation

Power Ministry gave its assent to REC amendments

  • Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy has given assent to amendments in the existing Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism.
  • The amendments will align the mechanism with the emerging changes in the power scenario.
  • New changes:
    • Validity of REC will be perpetual
    • Floor and forbearance prices are not required to be specified.
    • CERC to have monitoring and surveillance mechanism to ensure that there is no hoarding of RECs

MSME Minister launches India Export Initiative and IndiaXports 2021 Portal

  • Union Minister for MSMEs, Narayan Rane has virtually inaugurated India Export Initiative and IndiaXports 2021 Portal of India SME Forum in New Delhi
  • IndiaXports aims to orient MSMEs free of cost, with focus on the untapped export potential in existing tariff lines and supporting MSMEs in order to grow the number of exporting MSMEs and increase MSME exports by 50% in 2022
  • India Export initiative serves as a knowledge base for exports by Indian MSMEs 

Government launches 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS)

  • Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has launched 7th consecutive edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS) at New Delhi.
  • Driving Philosophy for SS: People First.
  • It is the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey and is conducted by Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) covering over 4,000 ULBs.
  • SS introduced in 2016 by MoHUA to rank cities on cleanliness parameters in 73 cities.
  • Revamped version of Swachhata App was also launched, during the event.

RBI takes Indian Overseas Bank out of PCA Framework

  • Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is taken out of PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) by RBI
  • Bank was placed under PCA in Oct 2015
  • As per the published results for the year ended March 31, 2021, IOB is not in breach of the PCA parameters anymore
  • After this, only Mumbai-based Central Bank of India is under PCA regime
  • IOB HQs: Chennai
  • RBI has specified three parameters for PCA: capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR), net non-performing assets (NPA) and Return on Assets (RoA).

Minister for Labour and Employment launches DigiSaksham

  • Minister for Labour and Employment, Bhupender Yadav has launched DigiSaksham, which is a digital skills programme to enhance the employability of rural and semi-urban areas youth by imparting digital skills
  • It is an initiative of Ministry of Labour and Microsoft India
  • It is a free of cost training programme in digital skills including basic skills as well as advance computing
  • Jobseekers can access training through National Career Service (NCS) Portal (www.ncs.gov.in).

Govt. extends additional charge of PK Purwar as MTNL CMD

  • The union govt has extended the additional charge of PK Purwar as CMD of MTNL for one year.
  • Purwar also holds the position of chairman and managing director of debt-ridden firm BSNL.
  • Purwar has held the top position at MTNL for about five and half years. 
  • The government has announced the merger of BSNL and MTNL, which is yet to be firmed up.
  • MTNL reported a total loss of Rs 2,554 crore for the last fiscal compared to Rs 3,811 crore in 2019-20.

Iconic Indian superhero - Chacha Chaudhary declared mascot of Namami Gange

  • The iconic Indian superhero - Chacha Chaudhary has been declared as the mascot of the Namami Gange Programme.
  • The decision was taken during the 37th Executive Committee meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, NMCG.
  • As a step towards this NMCG has tied-up with Diamond Toons to develop and distribute comics, e-comics and animated videos.
  • NMCG has been focusing on youth as part of its outreach and public communications efforts as they are the impellers of change

India, US to set-up joint working group in defence industrial security

  • India and US have decided to set-up a joint working group in defence industrial security.
  • This group will meet periodically to align the policies and procedures expeditiously that will allow the defence industries to collaborate on cutting edge defence technologies.
  • The Industrial Security Agreement summit between India and the US was held New Delhi.
  • The summit was organised to develop protocol for the exchange of classified information between both the nations.

PM Modi launches Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0

  • PM Narendra Modi launched Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, SMB-U and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0.
  • The two missions have been designed to realize the aspiration to make all cities Garbage Free and Water Secure. 
  • It will also help in achieving the targets set under the Sustainable Development Goals-2030.
  • the aim of SBMU 2.0 is to make cities garbage-free.
  • the Second Phase of AMRUT is to make cities water secure. 

Air Marshal BR Krishna assumes charge of CISC

  • Air Marshal BR Krishna assumed charge of Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC).
  • Commissioned as a fighter pilot in 1983, he has had a distinguished career spanning over 38 yrs. 
  • He has flown a wide variety of fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters in the inventory of Indian Air Force (IAF).
  • He is an alumnus of National Defence AcademyDefence Services Staff College and National Defence College.

Air Marshal Sandeep Singh takes charge as vice-chief of IAF

  • Air Marshal Sandeep Singh took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS).
  • An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned in the flying branch of IAF in December 1983 as a fighter pilot.
  • He is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.
  • He has over 4400 hours of flying experience in operational and experimental test-flying of various types of fighter aircraft.

Food regulator, food processing ministry sign MoU to support micro entrepre

  • FSSAI has signed an MoU with the MoFPI to support micro food entrepreneurs, FPOs, SHGs to improve the standard of food businesses.
  • As part of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, the step will help micro enterprises improve the quality of their food products and become competitive.
  • food handlers of micro level food processing units will be provided training 
  • On completion of training, food handlers will be provided ‘Food Safety Supervisor’ certificate by FSSAI.

Indian men's team win bronze in Asian Table Tennis Championships

  • Indian men's table tennis team created history by winning a medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championship 2021.
  • The team consisting of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty, and Manav Thakkar won the bronze medal after losing to South Korea 0-3 in the semi-finals.
  • This is India's second medal at Asian Championships since 1976.
  • The Indian team was assured of a medal after beating Iran 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

WB to extend $150 million to Chennai’s Sustainable Urban Services Program

  • The World Bank will give $150 million loan to support the Tamil Nadu’s Chennai City Partnership: Sustainable Urban Services Program.
  • The program seeks to help strengthen institutions, improve the financial health of service agencies, and drive significant improvements in the quality of urban services — water supply and sewerage, mobility, health, and solid waste management.
  • This program will support the TN in its efforts to transform the city and its services.

Environment Ministry launches guidelines for ecotourism, river dolphins

  • Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the 'Guidelines for sustainable Ecotourism' in forest and wildlife areas' to promote a better understanding of nature and wildlife conservation.
  • The new guidelines will be applicable for sites falling in forests, wildlife areas and eco-sensitive zones.
  • The guidelines emphasise the engagement of local communities in a manner that enriches local economies and encourage sustainable use of indigenous material

Venkaiah Naidu unveils SACRED portal for senior citizens in India

  • Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched “SACRED portal” for senior citizens in India. 
  • Portal has been developed by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in order to provide a platform for senior citizens seeking employment opportunities.
  • Full form of SACRED is “Senior Able Citizens for Re-Employment in Dignity.
  • Citizens aged 60 and more can register on this portal and find jobs & work opportunities.

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