23 SEP 2020

 

World Rhino Day: 22 September

World Rhino Day is observed every year on 22 September.

• The day is observed to celebrates and raise awareness of the need to protect all the five existing species of Rhinoceros.

The five species of rhinoceros are

• Black Rhino
• White Rhino
• Greater one-horned Rhino
• Sumatran Rhino
• Javan Rhinos
• One of the five rhinoceros species living in Africa and Asia have been declared 'critically endangered'.
• These species are- Javan Rhinos, Sumatran rhinos and black rhinos. The White Rhinos have been declared 'near threatened' while one-horned rhinos are said to be vulnerable to extinction.

International Day of Sign Languages: 23 September

International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September.

• This day is celebrated to raise awareness on sign languages and strengthen the status of sign languages.
• The choice of 23 September is the same date that the World Federation of the Deaf was established in 1951.
• The last week of September is also observed as International Week of the Deaf.
• The theme for the 2020 International Day of Sign Languages is “Sign Languages are for Everyone!”

Indian Navy to undertake passage exercise with Australian Navy

The Indian Navy (IN) is scheduled to undertake a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from 23 to 24 September, 2020.

• The exercise would involve participation of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Karmuk.
• The exercise, aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices from each other, would involve advanced surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firings, seamanship exercises, naval manoeuvres and Cross Deck Flying Operations.
• PASSEXs are regularly conducted by Indian Navy with units of friendly foreign navies, whilst visiting each other's ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
• The two navies have built a robust relationship through regular exercises such as AUSINDEX conducted biennially.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan chairs Aarogya Manthan on 2nd Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired ‘Aarogya Manthan’ 2.0 celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the presence of Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.

• AB-PMJAY is the world’s largest public-supported health assurance scheme, it provides financial risk protection to over 53 crore Indians from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds by assuring them with a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per eligible family per year to avail cashless inpatient secondary and tertiary healthcare.
• It has provided treatments worth more than Rs. 15,500 crore.
• In these two years, the scheme has provided free treatment to more than 1.26 crore beneficiaries.
• Over 23,000 hospitals have been empanelled so far and more than 12.5 crore e-cards have been issued.
• 57% of the total amount utilised under PMJAY has been for tertiary procedures related to treatment of major illnesses like cancer, cardiac ailments, orthopaedic problems, and neonatal.

PM Modi pays tributes to Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar on his birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar on his birth anniversary.

• Born at Simariya in Bihar in 1908, Dinkar’s nationalistic poetry was considered inspirational during the freedom struggle, and his work remained a source of motivation for politicians and others, including during the movement against Emergency.
• The three-time Rajya Sabha member died in 1974.
• His poetry exuded veer rasa, and he has been hailed as a Rashtrakavi ("national poet") on account of his inspiring patriotic compositions
• Dinkar was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1972 for Urvashi.

Lok Sabha passes Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020

Lok Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020.

• The bill aims to make Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, English and Urdu as the official languages of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The earlier the official language for the Union territory was only Urdu.
• Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir had informed the Centre that people across the Union Territory had been demanding to include the languages they speak and understand as their official language.

DRDO conducts successful flight test of ABHYAS

The successful flight test of ABHYAS - High-speed Expendable Aerial Target was conducted by Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO from the Interim Test Range, Balasore in Odisha.

• During the trials, two demonstrator vehicles were successfully test flown.
• The vehicle can be used as a target for evaluation of various missile systems.
• Abhyas is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO.
• The air vehicle is launched using twin underslung boosters.
• The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight.
• During the test campaign, the user requirement of 5 kilometres flying altitude, vehicle speed of 0.5 mach, endurance of 30 minutes and 2g turn capability of the test vehicle were successfully achieved.

Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey takes voluntary retirement

In Bihar, Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey took voluntary retirement with immediate effect.

• The State Government granted his request five months before the completion of his service tenure on 28th of February next year.
• Additional charge of the top post has been given to DG (Homeguard) S. K. Singhal.
• Mr Pandey has been in limelight for taking a strong stand on the bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case in which an FIR was lodged.

‘Mukhymantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana’ to be start in Madhya Pradesh

Mukhymantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana is being started in Madhya Pradesh on the lines of Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.

• Under this scheme, additional financial assistance of Rs. 4,000 will be given to the eligible beneficiaries of Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi.
• About 80 lakh farmers of Madhya Pradesh will be benefited by the Chief Minister Kisan Kalyan Yojana. Now they will be able to get an annual assistance of Rs. 10,000.
• Apart from this, farmer friendly schemes will be integrated into the state and implemented as a package.
• The Chief Minister deposited an amount of Rs 800 crore in the accounts of cooperative banks and societies along with disbursement of loans and credit cards to farmers.

PM Modi launches “Ghar Tak Fibre” scheme in Bihar

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched nine highway projects and Ghar tak Fiber scheme in Bihar.

• Under the Ghar tak fibre Scheme, optical fibre services will be provided to households.
• The project is to be implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the scheme “Ghar Tak Fibre”.
• The project will connect 45,945 villages in the state and will thus enable the Digital revolution to reach the farthest corner of Bihar.
• The scheme aims to provide optical fibre enabled internet connections to every home in the country, concentrating on the village and rural areas.
• During his 74th independence-day address, PM Modi had said that over 1.5 lakh village panchayats have received optical fibre connections after 2014 under the scheme.

Noted Marathi actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar passes away

Noted Marathi actress and Bollywood’s veteran character artist Ashalata Wabgaonkar passed away due to Covid 19 infection.

• The actress was undergoing treatment since September 17.
• The actress had reportedly visited the sets of a Marathi TV show recently from where she might have contracted the disease.
• The actress had worked in many Bollywood hits including 'Apne Paraye', 'Zanjeer, 'Namak Halal', 'Sharaabi',  'Shaukeen' and Marathi movies like 'Maherchi Sadi', 'Vahinichi Maya', 'Umbartha', 'Sutradhar', 'Navari Mile Navryala'.

Chef Vikas Khanna’s book titled “Kitchens of Gratitude” to be out soon

Michelin Star chef Vikas Khanna’s Feed India initiative was one of the brighter things during the bleak pandemic.

• It evolved into one of the largest food drives in the world carried forth by an individual.
• Spearheaded by him, it crossed 30 million meals in more than 135 cities.
• The chef fed underprivileged kids and ensured food reaches the many cities and towns ravaged by the virus.
• And now, he will be writing about all this and more in this new book, Kitchens of Gratitude, which will be out next year.
• Published by Penguin Random House, India, the book will detail the author’s experience and also touch upon his will to combat the ills of the time with the nourishing quality of food.