Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 September 2020

1. World Suicide Prevention Day: 10 September

• World Suicide Prevention Day is celebrated every year on 10 September to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented.
• It is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and co-sponsored by WHO.
• Theme 2020: “Working Together to Prevent Suicide”
• Suicide is the 15^th leading cause of deaths globally, and more than 8,00,000 people die by suicide annually, representing 1 person every 40 seconds.
• In 2012, 76% of global suicide occurred in low- and middle-income countries, 39% of which occurred in the South-East Asia Region.
• Suicide is currently still criminalized in 25 countries. While in some countries, suicide attempters are put in jail as per Sharia law.
• In 2018, the Indian government decriminalized suicide after the enactment of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.

(Source: IASP)

2. PM holds ‘Svanidhi Samvaad’ with the street vendors of Madhya Pradesh.

• The Prime Minister held ‘Svanidhi Samvaad’ with the street vendors of Madhya Pradesh and appreciated the efforts of street vendors and the government of Madhya Pradesh.
• PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi – PM Svanidhi Scheme:
  • The scheme was launched on 1 June 2020 to help street vendors affected by COVID-19.
  • The scheme aims to provide Swarozgar, Svavlamban and Swabhimaan to the street vendors.
  • It is a central sector scheme fully funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  • It provides a working capital loan of Rs. 10,000 to street vendors without any collateral. On the timely repayment of loan within a year, the working capital loan limit will be increased.
  • The vendors are eligible to get an interest subsidy of 7% per annum.
  • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the implementing agency of this scheme. For this, an MoU was signed between SIDBI and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  • Recently, letter of recommendation module for the PM Svanidhi scheme was launched.
• SIDBI:
  • It is a development financial institution in India. It is the principal financial institution in the MSME sector.
  • It works under the Department of Financial Services.
  • It is regulated and supervised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • It was established in 1990.
  • Headquarters: Lucknow, UP
  • Chairman and MD: Mohammad Mustafa

(Source: News on AIR)

3. South India’s first Kisan Rail flagged off between Anantpur and New Delhi.

• The first Kisan Rail of South India running between Anantpur and New Delhi was flagged by the Union Minister of Agriculture Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and CM of Andhra Pradesh Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.  
• It is the second Kisan Rail of India after the first Kisan Rail was flagged off between Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in Bihar on 7 August 2020.
• Andhra Pradesh has ranked first in terms of production of tomatoes, coconut, papaya and chillies. It is the biggest fruit-producing state in South India, and such an initiative will benefit farmers of the region.
• Kisan Rail scheme was announced during Budget 2020-21 and it aims to facilitate the speedy transportation of farm produce especially perishable products like fruits and vegetables, to different parts of the country and also to double farmer’s income.

(Source: PIB)

4. Nagaland gets its first telemedicine platform- ‘Naga Tele Health’.

• Nagaland has got its first telemedicine platform- Naga Tele health. Through this platform, citizens can directly connect with specialist doctors and medical officers to get general and specialized tele-consultation.
• This facility will be available free of cost.
• The platform will be established in all Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness centres in Nagaland.
• The service will be launched in a phased manner.
• Naga Tele Health is an initiative of the government of Nagaland with support from USAID NISHTHA Jhpiego. It aims to provide quality health care services at the Health and Wellness centres in Nagaland.
• Nagaland:
  • It is a landlocked state which is surrounded by Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Myanmar.
  • It is one of the smallest states in India.
  • Capital: Kohima
  • Governor: R N Ravi
  • Chief Minister: Neiphiu Rio
  • It has 1 Lok Sabha seat and 1 Rajya Sabha seat.

5. Child Mortality rate in India has declined as per UNICEF report.

• According to the new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group, the child mortality rate in India has declined substantially.
• The child mortality rate in India declined from 126 in 1990 to 34 in 2019.
• Between 1990-2019, India has shown a decline of 4.5% per year in the child mortality rate.
• The infant mortality rate in India has also declined from 89 in 1990 to 28 in 2019.
• Child mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of children under the age of five per 1,000 live births.
• Infant Mortality rate (IMR) refers to the number of deaths of infants below the age of 1 year per 1,000 live births.
• Under the SDG, the countries around the world have committed to reduce the child mortality rate to 25 by 2030.
• Under the New National Health Policy 2017, India has set the following targets:
  • Reduce IMR to 28 by 2019.
  • Reduce Under 5 Mortality rate/child mortality rate to 23 by 2025.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. First India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue held.

• The first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually.
• Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla co-chaired the meeting with his French and Australian counterpart.
• The dialogue mainly focused on increasing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The three countries decided to hold the dialogue every year.
• The three sides discussed regarding the potential areas of cooperation at the trilateral and regional level, including organizations like ASEAN, IORA and the Indian Ocean Commission.
• France is a Western European country whose capital is Paris. The President of France is Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister is Jean Castex. The currency of France is Euro. It is one of the five permanent members of the UNSC.
• Australia is the largest country in Oceania. Its capital is Canberra. The Prime Minister of Australia is Scott Morrison. The currency is Australian dollar. Australia is one of the members of the Quadrilateral Dialogue or QUAD.

(Source: News on AIR)

7. Rafale aircraft formally inducted in Indian Air Force.

• The first batch of the Rafale aircraft is formally inducted into the Indian Air Force at Ambala.
• The aircraft is now part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows.
• The first five Rafale aircraft were received by India from France on 27 July 2020 and were stationed at Air Force Station in Ambala.
• Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of the Armed Force of France Florence Parly were the chief guest of the event.
• The two sides also held a bilateral meeting.
• This is the third official visit of the French Defence Minister to India since 2017.
• Rafale:
  • It is a twin-engine multi-role combat aircraft.
  • It has the capability to strike air-to-air targets from up to 150 km away.
  • It is being developed by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault.
  • India signed a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore to procure 36 Rafale jets from French company Dassault.

(Source: News on AIR)

8. Atal Innovation Mission launched Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC initiative.

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has launched the Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenges initiative.
• The initiative aims to encourage applied research and innovation in Indian MSMEs and startups.
• The programme will be run by-
  • Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
  • Ministry of Defence
  • Ministry of Food Processing Industries
  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • Associated industries
• The programme will provide funding of up to Rs 50 lakh to support the speedy development of the proposed technology solution or product.
• ISRO will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs from Atal Innovation Mission.
• Atal Innovation Mission is a flagship initiative set up by NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
• Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) aims at supporting innovators through a grant-based mechanism to create products/ solutions based on advanced technologies.

9. Inauguration of organic food processing unit in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

• An Organic Food Processing Unit has been inaugurated by the Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.
• It will benefit around 5000 farmers in the region.
• Uttar Pradesh has the potential in the food processing sector and its diverse basket of agricultural raw material base and agro-climate attributes provide the required platform for the development of the food processing industry.
• Food Processing sector can help in overcoming the major challenges in agriculture like post-harvest losses, low income of farmers, lack of marketing options, etc.
• Uttar Pradesh:
  • It is the most populous state in India and ranks 4^th in terms of area.
  • The Chief Minister of the state is Yogi Adityanath and Governor is Anandiben Patel.
  • Deputy CMs: Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya
  • The capital of the state is Lucknow.
  • The state animal of Uttar Pradesh is Swamp Deer, State Bird is Saras Crane, State Tree is Ashoka and State Flower is Brahma Kamal.
  • Uttar Pradesh has 80 seats in the Lok Sabha and 403 assembly seats.
  • Rajya Sabha- 31 seats

10. Two-day conclave on School Education in 21st Century under Shikshak Parv.

• Ministry of Education is organizing an online two-day conclave on School Education in 21^st Century under Shikshak Parv.
• On the first day, Principal and Teacher practitioners will discuss how they have implemented various themes of the National Education Policy.
• On the second day, PM Narendra Modi will address the conclave.
• A series of webinars on NEP will be organized by the Ministry of Education, highlighting important themes of NEP.
• Shikshak Parv is being observed from 8-25 September 2020 to felicitate the Teachers and also to take NEP 2020 forward.
• The Union Minister of Education conferred CBSE Teachers Award to 38 Teachers and Principals of CBSE schools. These awards were given for the year 2019-20.
• Each award has a Merit Certificate, a shawl and Rs. 50,000 cash.

11. A webinar on Scientific & Technological Interventions by CSIR-CMERI combating COVID-19.

• A webinar on Scientific & Technological Interventions by CSIR-CMERI combating COVID-19 as a part of the ‘Jigyasa’ programme was hosted by CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur in collaboration with Samagra Siksha, Dept of School Education, J&K.
• CSIR-CMERI is providing skill development opportunities to Higher Secondary, ITI, Diploma and UG level students.
• CSIR-CMERI presented the details of COVID Protection System (COPS) for Workplace & Hospitals like Solar based IntelliMAST, Touchless Faucet, 360o Car Flusher, Dry Fogging Shoe Disinfector and Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device (HCARD) developed by the institute.
• CSIR-CMERI has also built the world’s largest solar tree installed in Durgapur.
• Jigyasa Program:
  • It is an initiative of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) launched in collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathans (KVS).
  • It is a student-scientist connect programme that promotes scientific temperament.
  • Models of Engagement:
    • Laboratory Visit
    • Popular lecture series
    • Visit of Scientists to schools
    • Lab specific activities
    • Teacher’s workshop

(Source: PIB)

12. PM launches Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and e-Gopala App.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and e-Gopala App.
• e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for the direct use of farmers. The app will help in managing livestock, including buying and selling disease-free germplasm.
• He also announced the establishment of Fish Brood Bank at Sitamarhi and Aquatic Disease Referral Laboratory at Kishanganj. These will ensure the timely availability of quality and affordable fish seed.
• He also inaugurated one-unit fish feed mill at Madhepura and two units of ‘Fish on Wheels’ at Patna assisted under Blue Revolution.
• He inaugurated the Comprehensive Fish Production Technology Centre at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar.
• A semen station and IVF lab at Animal Sciences University, Patna, built under Rashtriya Gokul Mission, were also inaugurated.
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY):
  • It is a flagship scheme of the government for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector.
  • The scheme aims to-
    • Increase fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25.
    • Increase fisheries export income to Rs. 1,00,000 crore by 2024-25
    • Doubling income of fishers and fish farmers
    • Reduce post-harvest losses from 20-25% to 10%
    • Generate 55 lakh direct and indirect employment in the fisheries and allied sectors.
  • As a part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat package, an investment of Rs. 20,050 crores will be made to implement this scheme over a period of 5 years (FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25).
  •  The scheme will focus on the adoption of Cluster or Area based approach and creation of Fisheries clusters via forward and backward linkages.

(Source: News on AIR)

13. Finance Minister launched Doorstep banking services and released EASE 2.0 Index results.

• Finance Minister has launched doorstep banking services by PSBs and released EASE 2.0 Index results.
• Under doorstep banking services, selected service providers will use Doorstep Banking Agents at 100 centres across India.
• Currently, only non-financial services such as the delivery of cheque books, demand drafts are provided to customers. Financial services will be provided from October 2020.
• Between March-2019 and March-2020, the overall EASE index score of PSBs increased by 37%. Average EASE index score improved from 49.2 to 67.4 out of 100.
• EASE 2.0 index has more than 120 objective criteria spread across six themes. Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce are the top 3 performing banks as per EASE 2.0 Index results.
• Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India & erstwhile Corporation Bank are the top three banks in improvement from March baseline.
• EASE (Enhanced Access and Service Excellence) reforms for PSBs were launched in January 2018. EASE 3.0 reform agenda for tech-enabled banking has been launched in February 2020.
• Top 3 performer banks across each theme are given below:

(Source: PIB)

• The number of PSBs under the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework has come down to three during the implementation of EASE reforms.
• CRAR has reached 197 bps above the regulatory minimum and the provision coverage ratio has achieved the highest level of 80.9% in eight years.

14. World’s largest rooftop greenhouse opens in Canada.

• The world’s largest rooftop greenhouse has opened in Montreal, Canada.
• It was set up by Lufa farms on the top of a ware house. It is the fourth rooftop greenhouse set up by the company.
• This was opened to meet the increasing demand for locally source foods.
• This greenhouse covering 15,000 sq m area can grow food to feed 10,000 families. Tomatoes and eggplants are grown here.

(Source: India times)