06 SEP 2020

 

Donald Trump announces Wilmington as first World War II Heritage City

US President Donald Trump announced Wilmington in southern US state North Carolina as the first World War II Heritage City.

• During the war, Wilmington was the site of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, which built 243 ships in five years as part of the federal government's emergency shipbuilding program.
• The president signed legislation last year directing the secretary of the interior to each year designate at least one city as an American World War II Heritage City based on contributions made to secure victory in the war.

India attends key meeting of BIMSTEC

India attended a key meeting of the regional grouping BIMSTEC which discussed ways to further expand cooperation among its member nations to effectively deal with key challenges including impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

• The Indian delegation at the virtual meeting of the grouping was headed by Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Vijay Thakur Singh.
• The Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) of BIMSTEC under the chairmanship of Sri Lanka discussed ways to deepen cooperation among the member nations and hold the next summit of the grouping.
• A number of issues including ways to boost cooperation in dealing with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic was discussed in the meeting.

India to host summit of SCO council of heads of government on Nov 30

India will host a summit of the council of heads of government of the SCO 30 with a focus on contributing to the trade and economic agenda of the influential grouping.

• India has been focusing on expanding its cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an eight-nation regional grouping that represents around 42 per cent of the world's population and 20 percent of the global GDP.
• This SCO Summit is the 19th edition of the council of heads of government meeting of SCO.
• India is hosting this summit for the first time after its admission into the grouping in 2017.
• Beijing-based SCO is an eight-nation regional grouping comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
• India was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and became its full member in 2017 along with Pakistan.

Andhra Pradesh tops ease of doing business rankings

Andhra Pradesh has bagged the first rank among all the states in the country in the state business reforms action plan-2019 (BRAP-2019), representing ease of doing business for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

• The ranks were announced by the Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• While Uttar Pradesh stood in the second position, Telangana bagged the third spot in the overall ranking of the state business process reforms undertaken during 2019.
• Till date, State Rankings have been released for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017-18. The latest one is the fourth edition for 2018-19.

Patna High court reprimands pvt body managing Vishnupad temple

Patna High Court has reprimanded the private managing body of Vishnupad temple in Gaya asking it to manage the temple properly for lakhs of devotees who visit every year.

• The observation by the division bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S Kumar came while hearing a PIL urging that the state government be directed to declare all temple properties public.
• Vishnupad Mandir is an ancient temple in Gaya, Bihar, India.
• It is a Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
• This temple is located along the Falgu River, marked by a footprint of Lord Vishnu known as Dharmasila, incised into a block of basalt.

Assam govt relaunches SVAYEM scheme to provide self-employment to around 2 lakh youths of state

In Assam, the State Government re-launched a scheme to provide self-employment to around two lakh youths of the state.

• Known as Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment (SVAYEM), it would provide 50 thousand rupees each as seed money to selected youths to start business ventures.
• The Assam Government is launching the redesigned SVAYEM with a budget of 1,000 crore rupees which will be spent in the next three months without any banking linkage.
• Those seeking to avail benefits of the scheme will be able to register themselves at a new portal which will be launched on September 16.
• Youths up to 40 years with the minimum qualification of matriculation would be able to get the benefit of SVAYEM scheme.

Delhi paired with Sikkim under 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' programme

Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Abhiyan focused campaign is underway in the country.

• National Capital Delhi has been paired with Sikkim under Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme.
• Since 2017, selected students and teachers of both states are visiting each other under the programme.
• Cultural exchanges are taking place from time to time in Sikkim and Delhi with food festivals and dance festivals.
• With people to people contact, the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat initiative has strengthened the bond of oneness between Delhi and Sikkim.

Punjab Govt Launches 'I Rakhwali' App

The State Forest Department of Punjab has launched a mobile application named ‘I Rakhwali’ to strengthen its drive to preserve and maintain the environment in Punjab

• The app was launched by the Punjab Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.
• The main aim of  ‘I Rakhwali’ app is to ensure greenery and protect the environment in Punjab as well as inspire people to plant more trees to safeguard the state forest area.

Infosys acquires US-based Kaleidoscope Innovation for $42 million

Infosys acquires US-based product design and development firm, Kaleidoscope Innovation, for $42 million.

• With this acquisition, the company will be able to expand its engineering services portfolio, especially in medical devices, consumer and industrial markets across the US.
• The acquisition is expected to close in Q2 FY21.
• This is the company’s second acquisition in the year and the amount includes earn-out payments, management incentives and bonuses.
• The company acquired Simplus, a Salesforce partner, in February for $250 million.

Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank no longer a banking company

Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank has ceased to be a banking company within the meaning of the Banking Regulation Act.

• In November last year, the RBI had said that Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank was headed for liquidation after the company's application for voluntary winding up.
• The decision to shut operations by the Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank was taken due to unanticipated developments in the business landscape which have made the economic model unviable.
• Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank had received the banking licence from the RBI in April 2017 for carrying on the business of a payments bank and had also received an authorisation to carry on the business of Prepaid Payments Instrument business.
• It had commenced business from February 22, 2018.

Rajiv Lall resigns as IDFC First Bank’s non-executive chairman

Private sector lender IDFC First Bank informed its non-executive chairman Rajiv B. Lall has resigned from the post with immediate effect.

• Lall has cited that he has been dealing with his prolonged personal health issues for a while now.
• Lall is a veteran banker and served as the founder managing director and chief executive officer of IDFC First Bank from October 1, 2015, till December 18, 2018.
• Lall also served as India's representative to the G-20 Working Group on Infrastructure.

Bajaj Allianz Life ropes in Ayushmann Khurrana as brand ambassador

Private life insurer, Bajaj Allianz Life has announced the appointment of Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador.

• Khurana will promote its products and digital services across offline and online mediums.
• Khurrana will feature in the brand’s next campaign ‘Smart Living’ that encompasses its term plan - Smart Protect Goal and the new digital service – Smart Assist.