Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 September 2021

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

1. Nitin Gadkari launched AI-powered road safety project ‘iRASTE’.

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched an AI-powered road safety project “iRASTE”. It has been launched in Nagpur.
• It has been developed by the government in association with Intel, INAI, IIIT-Hyderabad, CSIR-CRRI (Central Road Research Institute), and Mahindra & Mahindra.
• It aims to reduce road accidents by 50 percent in Nagpur. It will focus on vehicle safety, mobility analysis, and road infrastructure safety.
• Under this project, vehicles belonging to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will be equipped with collision avoidance technology to reduce road accidents.
• Every year in Nagpur around 1500 accidents caused 250 deaths. The AI-powered road safety project will find accident spots.
• Data on road surface condition, signage, marking, signal details, and type of vehicles will be collected through “i Raste” Project.

Topic: Government schemes and Initiatives

2. Niti Aayog launched 'Shoonya' programme to promote electric vehicles.

• Niti Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) launched 'Shoonya' campaign to promote zero-pollution delivery vehicles.
• It aims to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in Urban areas.
• Around 30 companies including Mahindra Electric, Tata Motors, Zomato, Ashok Leyland, Sun Mobility, Lightning Logistics attended the meeting chaired by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.
• Under this campaign, a corporate branding and certification programme will be launched to recognize the industry’s effort for promoting electric vehicles
• In India, urban freight vehicles account for 10 percent of the total CO2 emissions from transport vehicles. CO2 emissions from vehicles are expected to grow by 114% by 2030.

Topic: Important Days

3. World Patient Safety Day is observed annually on 17 September.

• World Patient Safety Day is observed annually on 17 September with the objective to enhance global understanding of patient safety.
• Other objectives of World Patient Safety Day are- increasing public engagement in health care safety and promoting global action to prevent and reduce avoidable harm in health care.
• The theme for World Patient Safety Day 2021 is “Safe maternal and newborn care”.
• On 29 May 2019, 72^nd World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to observe World Patient Safety Day annually on 17 September.
• First World Patient Safety Day was observed on 17 September 2020.

Topic: International News

4. Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. announce new trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific.

• Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. has announced a new trilateral security partnership (AUKUS) for the Indo-Pacific.
• Under the partnership (AUKUS), Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines with help from the U.K. and the U.S.
• Nuclear power submarines will be built in Adelaide in close cooperation with the U.K. and the U.S.
• Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison formally announced the trilateral grouping. He joined U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House via video-link.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also took part in the launch via video link.

Topic: State News/ Telangana

5. Telangana Government released its IT policy for the next five years.

• Telangana Government released its Information Technology policy for the next five years. It has been unveiled by State Information Technology and Industries Minister K. Taraka Ramarao.
• The Telangana government aims to double the IT exports from the State in the next five years. The new IT policy will generate four lakh jobs in IT and IT-enabled services.
• The State government will also set up a ₹1,300-crore start-up fund to support 8,000 start-ups in IT Sector.
• Around 12,000 Digital Telangana Centers will be set up at Panchayats to provide digital services to the citizens.
• Its main focus is the digital empowerment of citizens, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It aims to take the innovation ecosystem at the global level.
• Telangana Government is aiming to make Telangana a hub of emerging technologies. Recently, Telangana Government has launched the ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project to promote digital technologies.
• Telangana launched its first IT policy in 2016.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

6. Defence Ministry formed a high-level expert committee for comprehensive review of NCC.

• Defense Ministry has constituted a High-Level Expert Committee for the comprehensive review of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
• The committee will recommend ways to make NCC more relevant in changing times. It will suggest measures to use the NCC cadet’s strength in nation-building and development efforts.
• The committee will be headed by a former member of Parliament Baijayant Panda. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and Anand Mahindra will be the members of the committee.
• The committee will also propose measures to utilize Alumni of NCC for the betterment of the Organization.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Space and IT

7. SpaceX send four people to space under its first-ever tourism mission.

• SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying four people to Earth’s orbit. It is the first tourism mission of SpaceX. The rocket has been launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• For the next three days, the passengers will travel in a capsule that will circles around the earth once every 90 minutes.
• The crew includes billionaire Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneux, Sian Proctor a geologist and community college teacher and Chris Sembroski a Lockheed Martin employee.
• The passengers will complete the entire mission in a capsule. The capsule has been designed and built under a contract with NASA. 
• Jared Isaacman becomes the third billionaire to self-fund their trip to space in the last three months.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. India to host first Global Buddhist Conference in November.

• India will host the first edition of the ‘Global Buddhist Conference in November 2021. The first award in Buddhist Studies will be also conferred in November.
• The theme of the conference will be ‘Buddhism in Literature’. It will be organized under the overall framework of the Ministry of Tourism.
• Eminent scholars from prominent Buddhist universities/institutions of India and Foreign countries will participate in this conference.
• Four region conferences will be also organized in Telangana, Sarnath, Gangtok, and Dharamshala.
• The Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) instituted the "Award for Promotion of Buddhist Studies" to recognize the contribution of foreign scholars/ individuals/ organizations for promoting Buddhist studies. It will comprise a cash reward of $20,000, a plaque, and a gold plated medallion.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Quality Council of India launched Prof. S.K. Joshi Laboratory Excellence Award.

• Quality Council of India launched Prof. S.K. Joshi Laboratory Excellence Award. It is India’s first-of-its- kind Laboratory Excellence Award.
• It has been instituted to promote Laboratory Quality and performance improvement in the country.
• It will be given to laboratories for achieving excellence in high precision testing and calibration services.
• This award will be given to currently operational Laboratories associated with Testing, Calibration & Medical. 

Topic: Miscellaneous

10. PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee, and Adar Poonawalla named among Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla have got the place in the world's 100 most influential people of 2021 by TIME magazine.
• Recently, TIME magazine released the name of ‘The 100 Most Influential People of 2021' in the world.
• According to TIME magazine, Narendra Modi is the third most dominating leader of India’s politics after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
• Mamata Banerjee's profile says that she has become the face of fierceness in Indian politics. Adar Poonawalla’s profile says that he is the head of the world’s largest vaccine maker and his efforts could help in ending this Pandemic soon.
• US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prince Harry, Meghan, and former US President Donald Trump have also got a place in ‘The 100 Most Influential People of 2021’ list.
• Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been also named in the list of the 100 most influential people of 2021 by Time magazine.
• Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, American football quarterback Tom Brady, Pop star Britney Spears, singer-songwriter Dolly Parton have been also named in the ‘The 100 Most Influential People of 2021’ list.
• The Time magazine 100 most influential people list is divided into 6 major categories- Pioneer, Artist, Leader, Icon, Titan, and Innovator.

Topic: Economy/Banking/Finance

11. Cabinet approves ₹30,600 crore guarantee programme to clear NPA of Banks.

• The Union Cabinet approved a guarantee programme to support National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL).
• The National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) will receive the Central Government's guarantee of up to ₹ 30,600 crore for supporting its security receipts. The guarantee will be given for five years.
• NARCL is planning to acquire stressed assets worth ₹ 2 lakh crore in a phased manner.
• The government guarantee will cover the shortfall between the amount collected from stressed assets and the face value of security receipts issued for those assets.