1. 4th edition of Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) ranking
of states announced recently by the Department of Industrial
Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The top states under State Reform Action
Plan 2019 are: 1. Andhra Pradesh, 2. Uttar Pradesh, 3. Telangana
Meetings of the SCO defence ministers and foreign ministers were
recently held in Russia. SCO is a permanent intergovernmental
international organisation. It’s creation was announced on 15 June 2001 in
Shanghai (China).
3.The General Assembly of United Nations on 19 December 2019
adopted a resolution to observe the International Day of Clean Air for
Blue Skies on 07th September every year starting from 2020. The Climate
and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) worked with UNEP and the Republic of
Korea to advocate for the day in the lead up to the decision. In 2014,
the Air Quality Index (AQI) was launched which currently tracks the
levels of pollution on eight parameters. These parameters are ground-level
ozone, Particulate Matter (PM) 10, PM 2.5, carbon monoxide, sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia and lead.
4. Kesavananda Bharati, the man who lent his name to an
iconic case as the petitioner, died. The landmark ruling in which the Supreme
Court announced the basic structure doctrine was in the case of His
Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru and Ors v State of Kerala. The case
was primarily about the extent of Parliament’s power to amend the
Constitution. The Constitutional Bench ruled by a 7-6 verdict that Parliament
should be restrained from altering the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.
5. NITI Aayog is in the last stage for preparation of Multidimensional
Poverty Index (MPI) parameter dashboard and a State Reform Action
Plan (SRAP). NITI Aayog is the Nodal agency for the MPI. Global MPI is an
international measure of multidimensional poverty. It was first developed
in 2010 by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for UNDP’s Human Development
Reports. India is 62nd among 107 countries with an MPI score of 0.123
6. India has become the fourth country after the United
States, Russia and China to develop and successfully test hypersonic
technology. India recently tested the Hypersonic Test Demonstrator Vehicle
(HSTDV). Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). HSTDV
is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft that can travel at hypersonic
speed. It uses hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology.
7. Noted broadcaster Sir David Attenborough to be presented
with Indira Gandhi peace prize 2019. The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development was instituted in the memory of the
former prime minister by a trust in her name in 1986. It consists of
a monetary award of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation.
8. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data,
India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves touched a record high of USD 541.431
billion. Foreign exchange reserves are assets denominated in a foreign
currency that are held on reserve by a central bank. These may include foreign
currencies, bonds, treasury bills and other government securities. Forex
reserves are external assets accumulated by India and controlled by the RBI in
the form of: Gold, SDRs (special drawing rights of the International
Monetary Fund – IMF), Foreign currency assets , Reserve Position with
IMF.
9. Recently the Director General of Forests has advocated
for the amendment of National Forest Policy, 1988. India’s forests are
currently governed by the National Forest Policy, 1988. Other Legislations
that Govern Indian Forests: Indian Forest Act 1927, Forest Conservation Act 1980, Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
10. ‘Health in India’ report: Published by National
Statistical Organisation (NSO). Among States, Manipur (75%), Andhra
Pradesh (73.6%) and Mizoram (73.4%) recorded the highest rates of full
immunisation.
11. First World Solar Technology Summit (WSTS) was
organized on 8th September, 2020 by The Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as the convenor of ISA Global Leadership
Task Force on Innovation, worked with the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) in organizing the summit.
12. International Literacy Day (ILD) is celebrated on
8th September every year all over the world. Theme for 2020: “Literacy
teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond”. India’s average
literacy rate is 77.7%. Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate of 66.4% is the worst
among all states in India and significantly lower than Bihar’s 70.9%. Kerala
has the best literacy rate with 96.2%. Delhi stood second with 88.7%.
13. The centuries old tradition of Rogan art (hand
painting on cloth), is facing an unprecedented challenge due to pandemic. This
rare craft is practised by a lone Muslim family, the Khatris of Nirona
Village, Gujarat. Other Important Painting Styles of India: Kangra Miniature
Painting (Himachal Pradesh), Pattachitra Painting (Odisha), Kishangarh school of
Painting (Rajasthan), Kalamkari Painting (Andhra Pradesh), Madhubani Painting (Bihar), Warli Painting (Maharashtra).
14. The Prime Minister has inaugurated the Patrika Gate
in Jaipur (Rajasthan) through video conferencing. The construction of
Patrika Gate was in keeping with Jaipur having recently been recognised as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. India has 38 world heritage sites, including 30
cultural properties, 7 natural properties and 1 mixed site.In
2019, Jaipur became the second city of the country after Ahmedabad to
get the recognition.
15. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana launched: It is a
scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in
the country. The scheme focuses on beneficiary-oriented activities in
Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture.
16. PM recently inaugurated Rashtriya Gokul Mission: It is to conserve
and develop indigenous bovine breeds, government launched ‘Rashtriya Gokul
Mission’ in 2014 under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and
Dairy Development (NPBBD).
17. South India’s 1st and country’s 2nd Kisan Train: Inaugural
run of the train flagged off. It runs between Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh)
and New Delhi. On 7th August, the first Kisan Rail was flagged off between
Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in Bihar.
18. The Indian Air Force will formally induct the Rafale
aircraft on 10th September 2020. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron,
the “Golden Arrows”. Rafale is a French twin-engine and multirole fighter
aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation being produced for both the
French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy. India is
the fourth country to have the strategic platform with Rafale after
France, Egypt and Qatar.
19. Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a new Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) policy in the defence sector which allows the
FDI through automatic approval to be increased from 49% to 74%. FDI is an investment
made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests
located in another country. It is different from Foreign Portfolio
Investment where the foreign entity merely buys equity shares of a
company. FPI does not provide the investor with control over the business.
20. Recently, Korean Peninsula and Japan were
hit by two typhoons named Maysak and Haishen. Typhoons are a
kind of storm. The storms, depending on where they occur, may be
called hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones.