Daily News

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Lok Sabha passes two agriculture reform bills aimed at bringing revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers

Lok Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 with Voice Vote to protect the rights of farmers.

Did you Know

The bill will allow electronic trading of farmers’ produce.

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PMGKP Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting COVID-19 extended for another six months

'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19' was announced on March 30. The scheme has now been extended for another 180 days. It provides an insurance cover of ₹50 lakh to healthcare providers.

Did you Know

No age limit & individual enrolment required for this scheme.

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KT Rama Rao launches web portal of Pothgal PACS

Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society of Pothgal village in Telangana became the 1st PACS to come up with a web portal serving the needs of its members. The PACS website furnishes the details of loans, loan processes, and services offered by the society

Did you Know

PACS plays a very important role in the rural credit system.

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Delhi Metro launches first indigenous signal system

Delhi Metro took a major step towards development of an indigenously-built communication-based train control launching i-ATS, the first Made-in-India signalling system. It is a computer-based system which manages train operations such as running & halting.

Did you Know

i-ATS – Indigenous Automatic Train Supervision.

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RBI issues draft Rupee interest rate derivatives (IRDs)

RBI proposed allowing foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to undertake exchange-traded rupee interest rate derivatives transactions subject to an overall ceiling of ₹5,000 crores. IRDs are contracts whose value is derived from one or more interest rates.

Did you Know

RBI has sought comments on IRDs by October 15, 2020.

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SBM Bank India, Mastercard launch Debit Card For High Net Worth Customers

SBM Bank India announced its collaboration with Mastercard to launch SBM World Debit Card – a premium and exclusive card available to SBM Private Wealth customers on request. The World Debit Card also has the highest standards of safety and security.

Did you Know

SBM Bank HQ: Port Louis
CEO: Parvataneni Venkateswara Rao.

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BHEL ties up with SwissRapide AG to bring Maglev high-speed trains to India

Aimed at expanding its footprint in the transportation sector as part of its diversification initiatives, BHEL entered into a MoU with SwissRapide AG for Maglev Train (magnetic levitation) projects. Maglev Rail system allows operating speeds up to 500 km/h

Did you Know

Kolkata Metro –1st in India to have BHEL made propulsion systems

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India ranks 116 in World Bank's human capital index

India's score increased to 0.49 from 0.44 in 2018, as per the Human Capital Index report released by the World Bank. It benchmarks key components of human capital across countries and India is ranked at 116. The index ranks a total of 174 countries.

Did you Know

13th President of World Bank: David Malpass.

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Margaret Atwood Honoured With 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize

Renowned author Margaret Atwood won Dayton Literary Peace Prize’s lifetime achievement award 2020. It celebrates literature’s power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding. She is distinguished for her most notable book The Handmaid’s Tale

Did you Know

She receives $10,000 as prize money.

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Education Minister confers 2nd Utkrisht Sansthan Vishwakarma Award in 14 categories to institutions under AICTE

Ramesh Pokhriyal conferred 2nd Utkrisht Sansthan Vishwakarma Award in 14 categories to the Institutions under AICTE on Vishwakarma Divas Celebration. The Award aims to motivate, recognize and honour AICTE approved institutions to raise their performance.

Did you Know

Utkrisht Sansthan Vishwakarma Awards conferred annually by AICTE

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Vice-President Naidu inaugurates CII global Ayurveda virtual meet

Inaugurating the CII Global Ayurveda Summit on the theme Emerging Opportunities for Ayurveda during Pandemic, VP Venkaiah Naidu stressed on the need for Ayurveda to connect with technology and target new market segments by using non-traditional means.

Did you Know

CII – Confederation of Indian Industry HQ: New Delhi.

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International Equal Pay Day: 18 September

International Equal Pay Day observed for the 1st time this 18 September under an initiative by the UN, aims at highlighting the importance of achieving equal pay for work of equal value. In India, women earn 19 per cent less than men, according to a survey

Did you Know

Focus: Building a better future of work by ensuring pay equity.

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ONGC exits Sudan oilfields

ONGC exited Sudan oilfields after it refused to pay for oil it lifted from the fields. ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of the state-owned firm, as also its Chinese partner CNPC and Malaysia’s Petronas have withdrawn from the block.

Did you Know

Sudan’s dues towards OVL totalled $430.69 million.

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Harsimrat Kaur Badal quits as minister in protest against agri bills

Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Badal resigned and the President of India, as advised by Prime Minister accepted her resignation from the Union Council of Ministers with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

Did you Know

Badal is a member of Shiromani Akali Dal Party.

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Narendra Singh Tomar given additional charge of Food Processing Industries Ministry

Harsimrat Badal resigned in protest of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce Bill, 2020. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has been assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in addition to his existing portfolios.

Did you Know

He also holds the Ministry of Rural Development portfolio.

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Online poker platform 9stacks signs Suresh Raina as brand ambassador

Founded in 2017, online poker platform 9stacks signed Suresh Raina as brand ambassador. Raina announced retirement from the international cricket last month. The left-handed batsman will be a part of 9stacks’ upcoming campaigns & engagement activities.

Did you Know

9stacks claims of over 32 million users.

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Mali’s former president Moussa Traore dies at 83

Mali’s former president Moussa Traore seized power in a military coup in 1968, eight years after Mali gained independence from France, and amid growing discontent with then-president Modibo Keita, the country’s first president. He ruled Mali for 22 years.

Did you Know

He was the sole presidential candidate in elections held in 1985

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BJP's Ashok Gasti, 1st-Time Rajya Sabha Member Passes Away

Ashok Gasti Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka died. He was a first-time Rajya Sabha member. Gasti, a lawyer by profession & former general secretary of BJP’s OBC Cell was also a former chairperson of the Backward Class Development Corporation in Karnataka.

Did you Know

He took oath as Rajya Sabha MP on July 22.

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Prominent Ayurveda physician PR Krishnakumar passes away

P R Krishnakumar, CMD of the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP) Coimbatore Limited, who had devoted his entire life to creating awareness on Ayurveda, died of Covid-19. He was also the Chancellor of the renowned Avinashilingam University in Coimbatore.

Did you Know

He was a recipient of the National Ayurveda Award.

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Mexico becomes first country to issue $890m Sustainable Development Goals Bond

Mexico became the first country to issue the ground-breaking seven-year SDG Bond for a total value of USD 890 million, resources that will be transferred from private funds to finance SDG-oriented programs. It a step towards the achievement of the SDGs.

Did you Know

UNDP is invited by Mexico to partner with them in the initiative

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DBS Bank India unveils online loan platform for SMEs, offers credit up to ₹20 cr

DBS Bank India launched DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs for making loans available to small and mid-size businesses in a hassle-free manner, with credit facility up to ₹20 crore. The platform auto-generates an e-offer letter if lending criteria is met.

Did you Know

DBS Bank HQ: Singapore.
CEO: Piyush Gupta.

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ICICI Home Finance launches home loan scheme for skilled workers in Delhi

ICICI Home Finance launched a new loan scheme Apna Ghar Dreamz, with credit amount from ₹ 2lakh to 50lakh for skilled workers employed in Delhi. The customers should have a minimum account balance of ₹1500 for loan up to 5lakh & ₹3000 for loan above 5lakh.

Did you Know

Tenure of Loan: 20 Years.

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Chef Vikas Khanna honoured with Asia Game Changer award for feeding millions in India amid Covid crisis

Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna will be honoured with the prestigious 2020 Asia Game Changer Award for feeding millions across India amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Award was launched by Asia Society. Khanna is the only Indian among the six honourees.

Did you Know

Asia Society is a US-based non-profit organisation.

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The book Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction by Arundhati Roy

Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction by Arundhati Roy is a collection of essays which encourages readers to reflect on the meaning of freedom in a world of authoritarianism. It invites readers to view pandemic time as an opportunity to imagine another world.

Did you Know

It is published by the Penguin Random House, India.

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Karnataka CM launches ‘Arthika Spandana’ loan disbursal scheme

CM B.S. Yediyurappa launched Arthika Spandana programme of disbursing loans of ₹ 39,300 crore through various cooperative institutions. Under this, ₹15,300 crore to be disbursed to agriculture sector while ₹24,000 crore is for non-agricultural sector.

Did you Know

Karnataka Capital: Bengaluru.
Governor: Vajubhai Vala.