Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 and 13 September 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. International Day for South-South Cooperation: 12 September

• International Day for South-South Cooperation is observed every year on 12 September.
• It is observed for spreading awareness about the economic, social, and political developments made by countries in the South.
• The South-South cooperation was started with the establishment of the first UN technical aid programme by the Economic and Social Council and the creation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1965.
• In 1974, UNGA formed a special unit within UNDP to promote cooperation among developing countries.
• United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) was established in 2013 to promote cooperation among developing countries.

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

2. Vijay Rupani resigns as Gujarat Chief Minister.

• Vijay Rupani has resigned as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He tendered his resignation to Governor Acharya Devavrat at the Raj Bhawan.
• He didn’t reveal the reason behind his resignation.
• Vijay Rupani was appointed as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2016. BJP had won the last Assembly elections in 2017 under his leadership.
• He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2012.

Topic: State News/Gujarat

3. Bhupendra Patel elected as new Chief Minister of Gujarat.

• Bhupendra Patel has been elected as new Chief Minister of Gujarat on September 12.
• He will take oath as Chief Minister of Gujarat today on September 13. He will be 17^th Chief Minister of Gujarat.
• He is a first-time MLA from Gujarat's Ghatlodiya. He belongs to Patidar community. He is the first leader from Ahmedabad city to be elected Chief Minister.
• Governor administers oaths of office and secrecy to Chief Minister. Chief Minister’s term is not fixed.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

4. India’s largest open-air fernery inaugurated in Uttarakhand’s Ranikhet.

• India’s largest open-air fernery has been inaugurated on September 12 in Uttarakhand’s Ranikhet.
• The Ranikhet fernery has the largest collection of fern species, second to only Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram.
• However, it is the country’s first open-air fernery in natural surroundings which is not under any poly-house/ shade house. It is located at an altitude of 1,800 metres.
• Research Wing of Uttarakhand Forest Department has developed it over a period of three years under Central Government’s Compensatory Afforestation Management Funds Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme.
• Ministry of Environment and Forests introduced the CAMPA scheme in 2004 to accelerate activities for the preservation of natural forests, management of wildlife, infrastructure development in forests, and other allied works.
• The fernery is home to a large number of fern species (endemic species, species of medicinal value and threatened species). It has 120 different types of fern. The details about different types of its ferns are as follows.
  • Species from the western Himalayan region, the eastern Himalayan region, and the Western Ghats.
  • Several rare species, including Tree Fern. Tree fern is a threatened species by the State Biodiversity Board of Uttarakhand.
  • Around 30 species of medicinal ferns such as Hansraj and edible fern species like Lingura, a popular nutritious food item in Uttarakhand.
• In July 2021, India’s first cryptogamic garden was inaugurated in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

5. Daniil Medvedev won US Open Men’s Grand Slam title.

• Daniil Medvedev of Russia has won the US Open Men’s Grand Slam title by defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. It is his first grand slam trophy.
• Novak Djokovic failed to become the third man after Don Budge and Rod Laver to win all four majors titles in the same year.
• In the women’s category, Emma Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez by 6-4, 6-3 to win the women’s Singles title at US Open Tennis. She has become the first British woman to win the title in the last 53 years.
• Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram won the men’s doubles title at US Open.
• Australian Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai of China won the women’s doubles title at US Open.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha awarded ‘Kashmir Young Leadership Award’ to Young achievers.

• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha conferred the ‘Kashmir Young Leadership Award’ to Young achievers during the Kashmir Leadership Summit.
• It has been given to young achievers for their outstanding work in different fields and contribution to bring positive changes in the society.
• The government has launched many programs for youth like Mission Youth, and Youth Clubs.
• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that young leaders, young minds can alone solve the entire world's great problems and can generate more ideas.
• Government is committed to make youths ambassadors of peace, prosperity, and socio-economic growth.

Topic: Important Days

7. World First Aid Day: 11 September

• World First Aid Day is observed every year on the second Saturday in September. This year it was celebrated on 11 September.
• It is observed to provide first aid training to prevent injuries and saving lives in critical situations.
• According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the theme for World First Aid Day 2021 is ‘First aid and road safety’.
• World First Aid Day was first observed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the year 2000.
• Every year many people and animals die due to a lack of timely first aid assistance. First Aid plays an important role in saving the life of victim.

Topic: Economy/Banking/Finance

8. NPCI and Fiserv launch ‘nFiNi’ programme.

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Fiserv Inc entered into an agreement to launch ‘nFiNi’ programme.
• nFiNi’ programme is a ready stack of services that fintechs and banks can use to issue RuPay credit cards. NPCI and Fisher will expand the market base by enabling banks and fintechs on credit cards.
• This BaaS (banking-as-a-service) programme provides a ready stack of services required for fintechs and banks to issue RuPay credit cards.
• It will reduce the onboarding time through hosted card management system covering transaction processing, open APIs, fraud, and risk management service.
• nFiNi’ programme will empower RuPay Card by offering services through the NPCI network and FirstVisionTM.
• At present, around 2% of the population in India use credit cards and this initiative has the potential to boost credit inclusion.

Topic: Space and IT

9. China successfully launched Earth observation satellite ‘Gaofen-5 02’.

• China has successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite ‘Gaofen-5 02’. It has been launched to monitor environmental protection efforts and natural resources.
• The satellite has been launched the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province from a Long March 4C carrier rocket.
• The Gaofen 5-02 is equipped with hyperspectral observational devices and it will improve the disaster prevention system in China.
• The satellite is based on a SAST3000 platform and carries seven instruments for hyperspectral monitoring of the atmosphere, water, and land.
• The satellite and carrier rocket has been developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
• China had launched the Gaofen programme in the year 2010 to form a space-based, high-resolution Earth-observation network.

Topic: Art and Culture

10. Agrarian festival ‘Nuakhai’ Celebrated in Odisha.

• Nuakhai is an important agrarian festival of Odisha. The literal meaning of Nuakhai is 'Nua' means New and 'khai' means eating.
• The objective of this festival is to celebrate social bonding and strengthen family ties.
• It is being celebrated since the 12^th century AD. It aware people about the relevance of agriculture and the role of farmers in the development of the country.
• This festival has 9 sets of rituals that start from Behrana to Nuakhai.
• People offered the new grains of crops to the deities before their own consumption.

Topic: International News

11. Aziz Akhannouch named as new Prime Minister of Morocco.

• Aziz Akhannouch has been named as new Prime Minister of Morocco by Moroccan King Mohammed VI.
• His party National Rally of Independents (RNI) won the largest number of seats (102 out of 395).
• Ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) led by PM Saad Dine El Otmani was defeated in elections. It got only 13 seats in Parliament.
• Morocco held Parliamentary elections on 08 September.

Topic: State News/ Chhattisgarh

12. Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel launches Millet Mission.

• Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel has launched Millet Mission on 10 September.
• He said that Chhattisgarh will become the millet hub of India in the future.
• An MoU between the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Hyderabad and the Collectors of 14 districts was also signed.
• These districts are Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur, Rajnandgaon, Kawardha, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Balrampur, Koriya, Surajpur and Jashpur.
• As per the MoU, IIMR will provide support and guidance for increasing the productivity of Kodo, Kutki and Ragi.
• Under the Millet Mission, farmers cultivating Kodo-Kutki and Ragi crops would be given input assistance of Rs 9000 per acre and Rs 10,000 per acre for growing these crops instead of paddy crops.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

13. Government enhanced scope of Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) scheme for specified agriculture products.

• Government has enhanced the scope of Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) scheme for specified agriculture products by bringing dairy products under its purview and increasing the rates of assistance.
• Government has extended the scheme till March 31, 2022. Dairy products were not covered under the earlier scheme.
• The rates of assistance have been increased, by 50 % for exports by sea and 100 % through the air.
• Enhanced assistance under the scheme will help Indian exporters of agricultural products to meet rising freight and logistics costs.
• The scheme for providing financial assistance for transport and marketing of agricultural products was announced by the government in 2019 to boost exports of such commodities to certain countries in Europe and North America.
• Under the TMA scheme, the government reimburses a certain portion of freight charges and provides assistance for marketing of agriculture produce.