03rd October 2020 Current Affairs
EXAMSDAILY
National Affairs
Govt of India launches 100-day campaign under Jal Jeevan Mission
The government of India launched 100-day campaign under Jal Jeevan Mission to supply piped water supply to schools and Anganwadi centres. This campaign was launched on the occasion of 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Jal Jeevan Ministry also conferred Swachh Bharat Awards in which Gujarat state secured the top position.
- The Main aim of this campaign is to provide potable piped water supply in Schools and Anganwadi Centres.
- Through this campaign, the States and Union Territories will ensure that Gram Sabha are convened at the earliest in order to pass the resolution to provide safe water in schools and Anganwadi centres.
About Jal Shakti Ministry:
- Union Minister: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
- Minister of State: Rattan Lal Kataria
NABARD initiated Special Refinace Scheme for WASH Programme, allocate Rs 800 crore
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) which is an is an apex development finance institution fully owned by Government of India has launched Refinace Scheme for WASH Programme. The financial institution allocated Rs.800 crore for the fiscal year 2020-21.
- NABARD will provide concessional refinance to all eligible financial institutions including commercial banks, regional rural banks and cooperative banks with a repayment period of up to 36 months.
About NABARD:
- Chairman: G.R.Chintala
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Atal Tunnel inagurated in Himachal Pradesh by Prime Minister – World’s longest High-Altitude Tunnel
PM of India, Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel which is the World’s longest High-Altitude Tunnel at Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh. The Tunnel was constructed by Border Roads Organisation.
- The tunnel reduces the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by four to five hours.
- The 9.02-km tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year, the valley was earlier cut off for about six months every year due to heavy snowfall.
- The tunnel can carry 1500 trucks and 3000 cars per day with a maximum speed of 80 km/hr.
About Himachal Pradesh:
- Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
- Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur
Webinar on Use of Natural Gas as a Motor Fuel held between India & Russia
Webinar held between India & Russia on the use of natural gas as motor fuel was organized under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
- The webinar included two Technical sessions on LNG as Transport Fuel and CNG as Transport Fuel, wherein perspectives from Indian and Russian sides were presented and saw the attendance of dignitaries, speakers and participants from both India & Russia
About Russia:
- President: Vladimir Putin
- Capital: Moscow
- Currency: Russian ruble
Union Minister Arjun Munda launched Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Programme with Assocham
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda launched Entrepreneurship Development Programme in collaboration with Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). This programme was initiated through video conferencing.
- This programme is launched to carry out special projects related to socio-economic development of Tribals.
- To mark the ‘Launch of Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Programme’, ASSOCHAM also conducted a webinar titled, ‘Khadi: Symbol of independent Atmanirbhar Bharat’ to commemorate the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
Swachhata ke 6 saal, Bemisaal Webinar organized by Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry
Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organized Swachhata ke 6 saal, Bemisaal on the occasion 6th Anniversary Swachh Bharat Mission.
- As per the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, more than 97 per cent of Indian cities have now become Open Defecation Free (ODF).
- In Swachh Bharat Mission, from a meagre 18 per cent of solid waste processing in 2014, now up to 67 per cent of solid waste is being processed, and more than 77 per cent wards are practising source segregation.
SAIL supplies more than 9000 tonnes of steel for the world’s longest tunnel ‘Atal tunnel’
The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) which is an Indian state-owned steel making company based in New Delhi, India has supplied 9,000 tonnes of steel required to build the tunnel. This includes 6,500 TMT (Thermo Mechanically Treated) bars, 1000 tonnes of steel plates and 1,500 tonnes of structural.
- SAIL is the largest steel producing company in India. The Major portion of the steel used in the Atal Rohtang Tunnel is supplied by SAIL
About SAIL:
- CEO: Anil Kumar Chaudhary
- Headquarters: New Delhi
State Affairs
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced ‘Pathashree Abhijan’ Road Repair scheme
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee launched ‘Pathashree Abhijan’ which is a scheme for Road Repair.
- Under this scheme under more than 7,000 stretches of roads comprising 12,000 km across the state will be repaired in a mission mode in a time-bound manner.
About West Bengal:
- Governor: Jagdeep Dhankar
- Capital: Kolkata
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju flags in CRPF Divyang Yodha Cycle rally in Gujarat
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju initiated CRPF (The Central Reserve Police Force) Divyang Yodha Cycle rally that began its journey from Sabarmati Ashram, Gujarat. The rally team consisted of six women of CRPF Mahila Battalions.
- The cycle rally covered about one thousand kilometre to reach Delhi in the last 16 days
Ranks & Reports
NSS Report, Time use in India 2019 Survey – Key Highlights
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation conducted survey titled Time Use Survey. The main aim of this survey is to estimate the participation of men and women in paid and unpaid activities. The survey was conducted between the period of January 2019 and December 2019.
- Women’s participation in unpaid domestic services such as cooking, cleaning, household management, for household members is 81.2% each day as compare to 26.1 % for men.
- Women spend 299 minutes that is almost 5 hours on unpaid domestic services which is thrice as much as men 97 minutes or 1 hour 37 minutes.
- 2 % of the total population engages in “employment and other related activities. They spend 429 minutes or 7 hours and 9 minutes each day.
About Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation:
- Union Minister: Rao Inderjit Singh
ICMR released “What India Eats” report – 31.4% of urban were overweight
ICMR (The Indian Council of Medical Research) which is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research released the What India Eats Report. ICMR released the report in collaboration with National Institute of Nutrition. As per the report, urban regions in the country consumed more fat than people in rural areas.
- The urban people of India consumed 51.6 grams of fat per day
- The rural people consume 36 grams of fat per day
- Overall obesity was prevalent in 12.5% of population in urban areas and 4.9% in rural areas
About ICMR:
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Leader: Balram Bhargava
- Founded: 1911
Science & Technology
RT-PCR kit gives Covid-19 results in two hours – Developed by Reliance
Reliance Life Sciences which is a diverse and integrated biotechnology initiative of the Reliance Group of companies has developed an RT-PCR kit that promises diagnosis of Covid-19 infection in about 2 hours.
- The kit has been technically validated by ICMR for satisfactory performance.
- As per ICMR, the kit is 98.7 % sensitive and 98.8 % specific. The diagnosis time of the kit is approximately 2 hours.
Awards & Honors
Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Chosen for 2020 Gandhi Award
Sanjay Singh, who is Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha was choosen for 2020 Gandhi Award. He is also leader of Aam Aasmi Party. This announcement was made by Chairman of MGNF(Mahatma Gandhi National Foundation), Eby J Jose.
- This Gandhi Award was given every year by MGNF. The award consist of sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs.25001.
Union Health Minister announces India Today Healthgiri Award
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri. Harsh Vardhan announced India Today Healthgiri Award. The award function is scheduled on 02 October 2020. Kerala received award from Union health minister for best state combating COVID-19. The award function held virtually through video conferencing.
- The award was given considering the accuracy in granting and spending funds, the vigilance in bringing down the fatality rate, good healthcare, and the work of the state government.
- The State government of Kerala won the award for the best state combating COVID19.
About Kerala:
- Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
- Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
- Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
Appointments
Charanjit Attra appointed as Chief Financial Officer of SBI
The State Bank of India has appointed Charanjit Attra as Chief Financial Officer. His appointment comes effect from 01 October 2020.
- The Chief Financial Officer post was lying vacant after the former Deputy MD & CFO Prashant Kumar, was appointed as the CEO of Yes Bank in March 2020.
About SBI:
- Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
- Headquarters: Mumbai
Defence News
Bongosagar Military Exercise –India & Bangladesh’s Mega Navy Exercise on Bay of Bengal
The India and Bangladesh navies will conduct the Mega Navy Exercise Bongosagar annually. Both Nations will conduct this exercise with an objective to further expand operational coordination between the two forces.
- “Bongosagar” is an annual maritime exercise which is to be held in Bay of Bengal was begun in 2019.
- The Indian Navy is to be represented by guided missile corvette Khukri and anti-submarine warfare corvette Kiltan.
- The Bangladeshi Navy is to be represented by guided missile corvette Prottoy and guided missile frigate Abu Bakr.
About Bangladesh:
- Capital: Dhaka
- Currency: Bangladeshi taka
Shaurya Missile – India test-fired nuclear capable missile in Odisha Coast
India has successfully test fired the new version of nuclear capable Shaurya missile in Balasore in Odisha. The Missile was developed by DRDO (The Defence Research and Development Organisation) which is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India.
- Brahmos is capable of hitting targets at 400 km range.
- It is a hypersonic surface-to-surface missile with a range of 700-1000 km.
- It is considered as the land version of Sagarika K-15 missile.
- The K-15 missiles were developed to be used in nuclear powered Arihant-class submarine.
About DRDO:
- Founded: 1958
- Headquarters: New Delhi
Space & Technology
SS Kalpana Chawla Cargo Spacecraft launched by NASA to International Space Station
NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has launched cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. The spacecraft named NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman reached the space, for her major participations to human spaceflight.
- The spacecraft was constructed by a Virginia based company Northrop Grunman.
- It currently holds space station resupply contract with NASA. It is an aerospace and defence technology company.
About NASA:
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
- Founded: 1 October 1958
Important Days
Swachhta Pakhwada being observed on 01 to 15 October – Organised by Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Panchayati Raj has observed Swachhta Pakhwada from 01 to 15 October. The Ministry involved in Swachhta Pakhwada activities with focus on general cleanliness, positive behavioural changes, promoting good hand hygiene & Using mask during coronavirus pandemic situation.
- This Swachhta Pakhwada drive focus on undertaking special cleanliness drive, promoting behavioural changes, improving hygiene & sanitation practices and spreading the message of Swachhta, which has assumed renewed significance to contain the spread of the Coronavirus in current times.
About Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj:
- Union Minister: Narendra Singh Tomar
- Constituency: Morena, M.P
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