Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 and 20 September 2021

By PendulumEdu | Last Modified: 13 Oct 2022 14:00 PM IST

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Current Affairs

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Topic:  Books and Authors

1. Jhumpa Lahiri’s new book titled 'Translating Myself and Others' will be released in 2022.

  • The Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Jhumpa Lahiri, has authored a new book titled ‘Translating Myself and Others’.
  • It will be released next spring. This book will highlight her work as a translator.
  • This book will be a collection of essays that will explain Lahiri’s experiences on the meaning of translation, translating her own writing, and writing across languages.
  • It will be published by Princeton University Press.  
  • The Namesake, Whereabouts, The Lowland are some notable works of Jhumpa Lahiri.
  • She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel ‘Interpreter of Maladies’.

Topic: National News

2. NITI Aayog recommends to build 500 healthy cities to fight Covid-like crisis.

  • NITI Aayog in its report on ‘Building Urban Planning Capacity in India’ recommends to build 500 healthy cities to fight Covid-like crisis.
  • According to this report, India needs a Central sector scheme to build 500 ‘healthy cities’ over the next five years.
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in consultation with states and Union Territories should develop this scheme.
  • NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar emphasized the need to reduce carbon footprint in Urban areas.
  • The report comprises many recommendations for urban planning such as interventions for planning healthy cities, optimum utilization of urban land, ramping up human-resource capacities, strengthening urban governance.

 

 

UPPCS Prelims Test Series 2021

 

 

Topic: Important Days

3. Eastern Naval Command celebrated International Coastal Cleanup Day on 18 September.

  • Eastern Naval Command celebrated the 36th International Coastal Cleanup Day on 18 September.
  • The day was celebrated by the Southern Naval Command by focusing on mangrove plantation and clearance of plastic/non-biodegradable waste along coast.
  • More than 600 kg of trash has been collected from the Tuticorin port trust beach on the occasion of the International Coastal Cleanup Day.
  • It was first celebrated in 1986 and is observed every year on the third Sunday of every September.
  • It is observed to raise awareness about the growing pollution on various beaches of the world.
  • International Coastal Cleanup celebrated in the South Asian region under the aegis of the UNEP and South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme.

Topic: Personality in News

4. Veteran journalist KM Roy passes away.

  • Renowned Journalist KM Roy passes away at the age of 82.
  • He was the former editor of Mangalam Daily and also served as the Secretary-General of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists.
  •  He has authored several books including ‘Irulum Velichavum’ and ‘Kaalathinu Munpe Nadanna Manjooraan’.
  • He was the founder secretary of the Kottayam press club. He was the recipient of the Swadeshabhimani-Kesari award.
  • He worked with the newspapers such as Deshabandhu, Keralabhushanam, the Economic Times, and the Hindu.

Topic: State News/Punjab

5. Charanjit Singh Channi becomes first Dalit and 16th Chief Minister of Punjab.

  • Charanjit Singh Channi has become the first Dalit and 16th Chief Minister of Punjab.
  • He was elected to Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Chamkaur Sahib Constituency for the first time in 2007. He was elected in 2012 and then in 2017.
  • 15th Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh had resigned on 18 September.
  • Charanjit Singh Channi was later unanimously elected as leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab.
  • He then met Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to stake a claim to form the new government.
  • Charanjit Singh Channi has taken oath at the scheduled time, along with two deputies, OP Soni and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
  • Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers of Punjab.
  • Punjab has the highest percentage of the Dalit population (close to 32%) among States.

Punjab:

Punjab is a state in the northwest region of India. Its capital is Chandigarh.

Its Governor is Banwarilal Purohit.

Bhangra and Giddha are its folk dances.

Lok Sabha seats: 13 seats; Rajya Sabha seats: 7 seats

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

6. Indian Government constructing world’s longest highway, the Delhi-Mumbai Express highway.

  • Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has announced that Government is constructing the world’s longest highway, the Delhi-Mumbai Express highway.
  • The work on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be completed by March 2023. The expressway is 1,380 km long. It has eight lanes.
  • It passes through six states. These states are Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
  • The progress of work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Sohna in Haryana, Dausa and Bundi in Rajasthan, Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh was reviewed by the Union Minister recently.
  • The foundation stone for Delhi Mumbai Expressway was laid on 9 March 2019.
  • The Expressway will generate annual fuel savings of more than 320 million liters and reduce CO2 emissions by 850 million Kg.
  • Other features of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway include two 8-lane tunnels, one tunneling is through Mukundra sanctuary (Rajasthan) without disturbing the endangered fauna in the region for 4 km.
  • The second 4 km 8 lane tunnel will pass through the Matheran eco-sensitive zone. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is the first in Asia and only the second in the world to feature animal overpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife.
  • Benefits of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway are that it enhances connectivity, promotes industrial growth, addresses environmental concerns, reduces travel time, and generates development and employment opportunities.

Delhi-Mumbai Express highway

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

7. 197 bidders applied for first EoI contract to supply ethanol.

  • The first Expression of Interest (EoI) for signing long-term agreement with Ethanol plants for supplying Ethanol received an overwhelming response.
  • 197 bidders have shown their interest in signing the agreement. The EoI was published by BPCL on 27th August on behalf of Oil Marketing Companies under the guidance of the Ministry of Petroleum &Natural Gas.
  • According to the government data, 173 crore liter Ethanol was procured last year and 5% blending was achieved during ESY - 2019-20.
  • The ethanol blending target for 2020-21 is 325 Cr litre, which will take the blending to 8.5%.
  • The government aims to achieve the ethanol blending target of 20% and more in the coming years.
  • India’s ethanol production capacity is currently around 425 crore liters. Only 325 crore liters is available for fuel blending.
  • Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in 2003.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Government launched countrywide free Telemedicine Consultation cum drugs facility.

  • Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched countrywide free Telemedicine Consultation cum drugs facility.
  • He also announced that “JIGYASA”, a student- scientist connect programme, will be extended to cover schools in over 700 districts within a year.
  • JIGYASA programme is currently operational in 170 districts of the country. It is jointly executed with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.
  • This free Telemedicine Consultation cum drugs facility will help in resolving the issues of Accessibility, Availability, and Affordability.
  • It will help in improving health care facilities for rural areas and reduce the distance of traveling and the cost of consultation/treatment.
  • SAATH and E-Sanjeevani are the Telemedicine services started by the Government.

free Telemedicine Consultation cum drugs facility

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

9. Pankaj Advani wins Asian Snooker Championship for second time.

  • Indian snooker Pankaj Advani has won the Asian Snooker Championship in Doha by defeating Amir Sarkhosh of Iran.
  • He became the only player who won the titles in all forms of billiards, snooker, 6Reds, and 10Reds competitions.
  • Pankaj Advani has won the Asian Snooker Championship for the second time. Earlier, he had won the Asian Championship in 2019.
  • Yasin Merchant (1989, 2001), Alok Kumar (2004), Aditya Mehta (2012) were the other Indians who had won the Asian Snooker Championship.
  • In this year’s Asian Snooker Championship, 42 players from 19 countries have participated. This is the first event for billiards and snooker since March 2020.
  • Snooker was for the first time played in India by British army officers. It is played with a cue stick on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth with six pockets.

Topic: Appointments

10. Kailash Satyarthi appointed as Sustainable Development Goals Advocate.

  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Kailash Satyarthi as a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate.
  • Along with Kailash Satyarthi, Valentina Munoz Rabanal, Brad Smith, and BLACKPINK are appointed as new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate.
  • Kailash Satyarthi, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, will focus on protecting and promoting the rights of children around the world.
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates are prominent leaders in the world and use their sphere of Influence in achieving the SDG targets.
  • The UN said climate action, bridging the digital divide, gender equality, and the promotion of the rights of children issues will be raised through Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates.

Sustainable Development Goals:

These are a collection of 17 goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future.

These were launched in 2015 by the UNDP and these have to be achieved by 2030.

Topic: State News/ Rajasthan

11. Rajasthan passed a bill to register Child marriages.

  • Rajasthan State Assembly has passed the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for mandatory registration of marriages, including child marriages.
  • It will amend the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2009. Under this new bill, information on child marriage must be furnished within 30 days of the wedding.
  • Now, the marriage registration officer will do the registration up to the block level.
  • If the girl's age at the time of marriage is less than 18 years and the boy's age is less than 21, then her parents will have to give a memorandum to the registration officer within 30 days.
  • According to Indian law, a marriage between a girl below the age of 18 and a boy below the age of 21 is considered Child marriage.

Rajasthan:

It is a state in Northern India whose capital is Jaipur.

It is the largest state in India in terms of area and seventh largest in terms of population.

It shares its border with five Indian states- Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

Governor of Rajasthan: Kalraj Mishra

Chief Minister of Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot

 

 

 

 

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