Daily Current Affairs 20th Oct 2021 – News, Videos & MCQs

Get All the Important Current Affairs of 20th Oct 2021 in this blog. It covers all important sections like Banking Current Affairs, Finance Current Affairs, Sports Current Affairs, Latest Appointments, Awards and more. In this blog, you also get to solve Important Current Affairs MCQs of 20th Oct 2021.

Daily Current Affairs 20th Oct 2021

Important Days

International Chefs Day is observed every year on 20 October.

• The day aims to celebrate and honour the noble profession and educate people around the world about eating healthy.
• Theme of the International Chefs Day 2021 campaign is Healthy Food for the Future.
• International Chefs Day was created by Dr. Bill Gallagher, a renowned chef and the former president of the World Association of Chefs Societies (World Chefs), in 2004.

World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) is observed annually on October 20.

• The day aims to raise global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease.
• WOD is organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), by the launch of a yearlong campaign with a specific theme.
• In 2021 the Global WOD Campaign theme is “Serve Up Bone Strength”.

International News

China has launched its first solar exploration satellite into space to study the violent and sudden physical processes behind solar flares.

• The 550 kg (121-pound) satellite named Xihe (Name of Sun God in Chinese mythology) was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province aboard a Long March-2D rocket.
• Meanwhile, ten small satellites and a commercial meteorological detection constellation experimental satellite was also sent to space along with the Xihe satellite.

National News

The fourth General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has been organised virtually between October 18 and 21, 2021.

The Assembly will be presided over by President of the ISA Assembly RK Singh, who is also the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy.
The fourth General Assembly of the ISA includes:
1. Operationalisation of the OSOWOG (One Sun One World One Grid) initiative, the $1-
trillion Solar Investment Roadmap for 2030
2. Strategic plan of the ISA for the next five years
3. Country Partnership Framework
4. Strategy for Private Sector Engagement
5. Viability Gap Financing scheme to facilitate affordable finance for solar energy projects
across ISA’s membership

NITI Aayog and UNDP India have collaborated to launch a handbook titled ‘NITI Aayog-UNDP Handbook on Sustainable Urban Plastic Waste Management, to promote sustainable management of plastic waste in the country.

• Handbook is a repository of 18 case studies/best practices and examples from cities in India, including 4 from Southeast Asia, which face similar infrastructure and plastic waste challenges.

It is divided into four major components

 Technical models for recycling

 Material Recovery Facilities (MRF)

 Governance for effective plastic waste management

 IEC and Digitization

• The book will enable the urban local bodies to learn from the successful business and
• service models covered under this handbook to plan for efficient plastic waste management in their cities.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off “Five Mobile Medical Vans” dubbed as Modi Van on October 19, 2021, in the Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh.

• These vans have been launched under the ‘Seva Hi Sangathan’ programme of BJP to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 20 years as the Head of Government.
• The Five Mobile Medical Vans will operate in five Assembly Constituencies in Kaushambi.

Key Features and purpose of Modi Van

• Equipped with 32-inch TV and a high-speed internet service to broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
• Will be used to present speeches and public rallies of BJP leaders.
• Van will be used to inform villagers about the ongoing schemes of the Central Government and their registration.
• It will also have telemedicine and a machine that can test 39 blood samples at one time.
• The facility will be used to educate people in remote villages about the COVID-19 vaccination along with the message of ‘Swachh Bharat’ and water conservation.

Banking News

Gross NPAs of banks to rise to 8-9% in 2021-22

• Report Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks will increase to 8% to 9% in 2021-22, credit rating agency CRISIL said in a report.
• The COVID-19 relief measures such as restructuring dispensation and Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme will help limit the increase in banks’ gross NPAs, it added. CRISIL said it expects corporate stressed assets to remain at 9-10% in FY22.

RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on India’s largest public lender State Bank of India

• The penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with the directions contained in “RBI (Frauds classification and reporting by commercial banks and select FIs) directions 2016”.
• The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of section 47A (1) (c) read with sections 46(4)(i) and 51(1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

State Bank of India raises Rs.6,000 crore by issuing bonds

• The State Bank of India (SBI) said it has raised Rs.6,000 crore by issuing Basel Ill compliant bonds. The non-convertible, taxable, perpetual, subordinated and unsecured bonds have face value of f1 crore each and bear coupon of 7.72% per annum payable annually.
• In June, SBI’s central board gave approval for raising fresh additional tier-1 capital of up to Rs.14,000 crore.

RBL Bank is working on a new digital platform named Abacus 2.0, that would help the bank to scale up customer acquisition over the next few years.

• Using Abacus 2.0, RBL Bank will provide products and services to new as well as existing customers digitally.
• RBL Bank had earlier launched Abacus 1.0 as a platform to increase its customer base in Tier 1 cities.

RBL Bank has inked an agreement with Tide, a leading UK-based fintech, to serve the banking needs of Indian SMEs

• RBL Bank has chosen Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, as its preferred cloud provider.
• RBL Bank MD and CEO: Vishwavir Ahuja.
• RBL Bank and Mastercard have announced their partnership to launch a mobile-based
• consumer-friendly payment solution ‘Pay by Bank App’, a first-of-its-kind payment functionality in India
• RBL Bank and ICICI Prudential have joined hands under a bancassurance partnership. Inks partnership with Online food ordering and delivery app Zomato to launch co-branded credit cards, powered by Mastercard.

• RBL Bank launches cardless cash withdrawal facility through ATMs via MoBank app
• RBL Bank and digital healthcare platform Practo have partnered to launch an industry first co-branded health credit card

Awards

Well-known Telugu filmmaker B Gopal, alias Bejawada Gopal, has been chosen for the fourth Satyajit Ray Award for his overall contribution to Indian cinema.

• Gopal has directed 30 films Telugu films and two Hindi movies.

Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO, has been conferred the prestigious Aryabhata Award for 2021 by the Astronautical Society of India.

• Dr G Satheesh Reddy has been honoured for his outstanding life-time contribution to the promotion of astronautics in India

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Current Affairs 20th Oct 2021 – MCQs

Q. Which of the following company recently got the status of Maharatnas?
a) Container Corporation of India Limited
b) Bharat Electronics Limited
c) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
d) NBCC (India) Limited
e) Power Finance Corporation Ltd

Answer: Option E

Q. PM Modi inaugurated PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan, from Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. PM GatiShakti digital platform is based on how many pillars
a) Three
b) Four
c) Five
d) Six
e) Nine

Answer: Option D
Rs 100 lakh crore: Under the new project a centralised portal will be set up to bring
together the infrastructure schemes (which are to be completed by 2024-25) of as many as 16 Ministries & State Governments on a common platform, for integrated planning and coordinated implementation, instead of planning & designing separately by each ministry and department.

The PM GatiShakti digital platform is based on six pillars
1. Comprehensiveness
2. Prioritization
3. Optimization
4. Synchronization
5. Analytical
6. Dynamic

Q. PM Narendra Modi has participated in the Extraordinary Leaders’ Summit of which group that has been organised to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
a) SCO
b) ASEAN
c) BRICS
d) G-20
e) UNO

Answer: Option D
The event, convened by the G20 Italian Presidency, will be held via videoconferencing on 13th Oct.
The agenda of the meeting will include a discussion on response to humanitarian needs and access to basic services and livelihood; security and the fight against terrorism; and
mobility, migration and human rights.

Q. World’s first automated, driverless train has been unveiled in Hamburg in which
country
a) UK
b) Japan
c) Singapore
d) South Korea
e) Germany

Answer: Option E

• The project for Automated trains is a joint venture between German rail company Deutsche Bahn and high-tech industrial group Siemens.
• The project is part of a 60 million euro ($70 million) ‘Digital Rail Germany’ modernisation plan which includes the modernisation of Hamburg’s rapid urban rail system.
• The trains will begin carrying passengers from December 2021.

Q. Consider the Correct statement about Indian Space Association
1. It is launched by Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation
2. ISpA is a private industry body which will act as a premier industry body for space and
satellite companies in the country
3. First Chairman of ISpA Jayant Patil, L&T-NxT Senior Executive Vice President for Defence
a) Only 1
b) 1 & 2
c) 1 & 3
d) 2 & 3
e) All of the above

Answer: Option D

Indian Space Association
First Chairman – Jayant Patil, L&T-NxT Senior Executive Vice President for Defence
Vice-President – Rahul Vatts, Bharti Airtel’s chief regulatory officer
Director-General – Lt Gen. A.K. Bhatt (Retd.)
Its founding members include Bharti Airtel, Larsen & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited.
Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics and Maxar India.

That is all from us in this blog on Current Affairs 20th Oct 2021.