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Current Affairs 01 October 2020
Daily Current Affairs 01 October 2020: This post contains the latest current affairs for 01 October 2020 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.
National
Rajnath Singh launches Defence India Startup Challenge-4 to promote innovation in defence sector
- Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh launched the Defence India Startup Challenge-4 (DISC4), under the iDEX initiative, during an event in New Delhi on 29 September 2020.
- The minister also launched the iDEX4Fauji initiative and Product Management Approach (PMA) guidelines for iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence).
- All these initiatives are aimed at expanding the horizons of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) ecosystem in the country.
Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) 4
- Under this, eleven challenges from Armed forces, OFB&DPSUs are opened for prospective startups, innovators, MSMEs to provide their innovative ideas on technologies which find their application in the defence sector. The 11 challenges include:
- Autonomous Underwater Swarm Drones
- Predictive, Preventive & Prescriptive Machine Monitoring
- Super Resolution for Improving Spatial Resolution
- AI-based Satellite Image Analysis
- Prediction and forecasting of atmospheric visibility
- Computer Generated Targets for Virtual Training
- Remote Real-Time In-Flight Health Monitoring of Aircrew
- MF-TDMA based Wideband SATCOM Modem
- Foliage Penetration Radar
- Reduction of RCS of Naval Warships
- Target Detection in Chaff Environment
iDEX4Fauji
- It is a first of its kind initiative, launched to support innovations identified by members of the Indian Armed Forces and will bolster frugal innovation ideas from soldiers/ field formations.
Product Management Approach
- These guidelines are first of their kind intended to monitor product development milestones achieved by iDEX winners against the requirements set by the Services/ DPSUs/ OFB.
iDEX initiative
- The iDEX initiative of the Department of Defence Production was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in April 2018.
- Its main objective is to encourage and nurture innovations in the Indian Defence sector and create an ecosystem where Startups, MSMEs and individual innovators could interact easily with the Indian defence establishment and provide the latest technological innovations for specific challenges experienced in operational environments through co-development and co-production of innovative solutions.
Agreement
NITI Aayog and Embassy of the Netherlands sign Statement of Intent on ‘Decarbonization and Energy Transition Agenda’
- NITI Aayog and the Embassy of the Netherlands, New Delhi, has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on 28 September 2020 to support the ‘decarbonization and energy transition agenda’ for accommodating cleaner and more energy.
- The SoI was signed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Marten van den Berg.
- Key elements of the agenda include:
- lowering the net carbon footprint in industrial and transport sectors
- realise the target potential of natural gas and promote bio-energy technologies
- adopt clean air technologies from monitoring to reducing actual particulates
- adopt next-generation technologies, such as hydrogen, carbon capture utilization, and storage for sectoral energy efficiency
- financial frameworks to deliver and adopt climate change finance.
Banking & Economy
RBI sets WMA Limit for Govt at Rs 1,25,000 crore for the second half of FY21
- The Reserve Bank of India has set the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the second half of the financial year 2020-21 (October 2020 to March 2021) for Central Government at Rs. 1,25,000 crore.
- The Reserve Bank will trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the Government of India utilizes 75% of the WMA limit.
- The interest rate on WMA/overdraft will be:
- WMA: Repo Rate
- Overdraft: Two percent above the Repo Rate
BSE inks pact with Yes Bank to empower SMEs
- India’s leading stock exchange BSE has signed a pact with private sector lender Yes Bank to empower the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) listed on the platform.
- As per te pact, both BSE and Yes Bank will work to empower the SME segment through awareness and knowledge-sharing programmes.
- They will conduct knowledge events for SMEs, export promotion of SME scale companies, in addition to providing banking and financial solutions
- The Bank will also offer customised services and products to the listed SME members of the platform and advisory solutions to EXIM potential listed SMEs.
Defence
India successfully test fires Brahmos surface-to-surface cruise missile featuring indigenous booster
- The Defence Research and Development (DRDO) successfully test-fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, with several indigenous features, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Balasore in Odisha on 30 September 2020.
- The successful trail of the BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) is a major step towards achieving “Atmanirbhar Bharat” pledge.
- The surface-to-surface cruise missile had indigenous booster and airframe section as well as other Made in India sub-systems.
Awards
Winners of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes 2020
- The Union Science and Technology minister Dr Harsh Vardhan announced the 2020 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes on September 26, 2020 on the occasion of the Foundation Day of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
- The award is given for outstanding Indian work in the field of science and technology.
- The award is named after the founder Director of CSIR India, the late Dr (Sir) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.
- The award is presented in following 7 disciplines: Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Medical Sciences and Physical Sciences.
- In 2020, the Prize has been bestowed upon 14 people.
- See the winners list here
Kerala Tourism bags prestigious PATA Grand Award 2020 in Marketing
- The Kerala Tourism has bagged the prestigious PATA Grand Award 2020 in Marketing category for its internationally-acclaimed ‘Human by Nature’ campaign.
- Apart from this, the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, has won the prestigious PATA Gold Award for its Marketing Campaign (State and city – Global), Script Your Adventure 2019
- PATA Grand Award 2020 were presented in 3 categories : Marketing, Sustainability and Human Capital Development.
- Besides this, 20 PATA Gold Awards have also been presented.
Appointment
ITBP Chief S S Deswal Gets additional charge of NSG DG
- The Director General of ITBP ( Indo Tibetan Border Police), S S Deswal has been given the additional charge of National Security Guard (NSG) by Home Ministry.
- The incumbent chief of NSG, Anup Kumar Singh has retired on September 30.
- Deswal would hold additional charge of the post of DG NSG till the joining of regular DG or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
- This is the second time that Deswal will lead the NSG in an additional capacity.
- Previously he headed the National Security Guard in July 2019 when its then chief Sudeep Lakhtakia retired and AK Singh had not been appointed.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur appointed as new President Of FTII Society and Iits Governing Council
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has appointed Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur as the new President of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and Chairman of FTII Governing Council.
- The 74-year-old filmmaker would serve the post till March 3, 2023.
Sports
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches new logo of Sports Authority of India
- The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju launched the new logo of Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) on 30 September 2020 at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
- The new logo of SAI features a flying figure which indicates the freedom an athlete to leapfrog his/her career in SAI.
- The figure features Indian Tricolour and blue colour of chakra.
- The logo signifies SAI’s journey of metamorphosis from identifying and nurturing grassroot level sporting talent to creating sporting excellence in the country.
Current Affairs Quiz – 01 October 2020