International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was started in 1989 by UN to promote a global culture of risk-awareness & disaster reduction. Held every 13 Oct, it celebrates how people & communities of the world are reducing their exposure to disasters.
2020 theme: "Disaster risk governance".
India and Asian Development Bank signed a $300mn loan to finance inclusive & sustainable water supply and sanitation infrastructure & services in 14 towns of Rajasthan. Water supply systems in at least 8 project towns are expected to improve by 2027.
ADB HQs: Mandaluyong, Philippines;
Founded: 1966.
NIT, Tiruchirappalli has signed an MOU with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing for installing a state of the art super computer in process of becoming part of National Super Computing Mission (NSM) of Government of India.
10 Centrally Funded Institutions have been inducted into NSM.
Paul Milgrom & Robert Wilson won 2020 Nobel Economics Prize for work on commercial auctions, including for goods & services difficult to sell in traditional ways. Duo was honoured for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats.
It was not originally chosen in 1895 & was created in 1968.
Tata Consultancy Services became the world’s most valuable IT services company overtaking Accenture in market capitalisation, with IBM at 3rd place. TCS is the second most valued company across sectors in India, just behind Reliance Industries.
TCS CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan;
Founded:1968.
Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos won 2020 French Open women's doubles title. It's the pair's 4th Grand Slam title in 3yrs & 2nd in 2020 after winning the Australian Open. Babos & Mladenovic are 1st doubles team to win 2 majors in a season since 2018.
The first French Open was played in 1891
Kerala is pioneering digital classroom tech and introducing high-tech classrooms in all public schools. State has successfully completed hi-tech smart class project in govt schools with financial aid from KIIFB as part of Public Edu. Rejuvenation Mission.
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram;
CM: Pinarayi Vijayan.
Arunachal Pradesh is poised to feature on the country’s aviation map with a greenfield airport at Hollongi. The project includes the development work, construction of airport pavements, air side work, terminal Building, and city side works.
Capital: Itanagar;
CM: Pema Khandu.
Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher's all-time record 91 Formula One wins with an Eifel Grand Prix victory that catapulted the Mercedes driver closer to a seventh world championship. Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished second.
Formula1, governed by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
Former England and Liverpool footballer Robbie Fowler was appointed as the head coach of SC East Bengal on a two-year deal. Apart from the national side and Liverpool, the 45-year-old also played for Manchester City and Leeds United.
Indian Super League was started in 2014.
Microsoft issued an alert for all Android users, stating it has found a new mobile ransomware called MalLocker.B. Ransomware freezes the screen and demands ransom to gain access and is known for masquerading as popular apps, cracked games, or video players
Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage.
Achelura bifasciata, a rare day-flying moth, was spotted in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal Himalayas. There are old records of the insect to have been spotted in Nainital by GF Hampson, a Britisher, who had compiled a book on moths in 1893.
The experts also spotted a rare butterfly called Tawny Rajah.
Nagaland's incumbent environment minister CM Chang passed away. He was 78. Chang serving as the Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Justice & Law minister in the state cabinet, was a member of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party since 2018.
Nagaland's Capital: Kohima;
CM: Neiphiu Rio.
7th Meeting of Ministers of Justice of SCO Member States will be virtually hosted by Union Minister of Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad. India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan will participate in the meeting.
SCO HQs: Beijing, China;
Founded: 15 June 2001.
Former Odisha Assembly Speaker Sarat Kumar Kar passed away at the age of 81. Sarat Kar, a veteran leader & eminent writer, was elected to State Legislative Assembly thrice from Mahanga. He was Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2000 to 2004.
Capital: Bhubaneswar;
Governor: Ganeshi Lal.
Ananthakrishna, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Bank Ltd. passed away. He was 74. He was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the bank from 2000 till 2009 and thereafter had continued as Non-Executive Chairman of the Bank.
Karnataka Bank HQs: Mangalore;
Founded: 18 February 1924.
According to DFI & Oxfam’s 2020 Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index, India spent 4% of its budget on health going into the pandemic, 4th lowest in world. Just 26 of 158 countries were spending recommended 15% of their budgets on health pre-pandemic.
India ranked 129 out of 158 countries.
Finance Minister announced major schemes to boost demands in the country by nearly ₹73,000cr. The new proposals aim at giving a thrust of around ₹36,000cr. to the consumer demands by the Leave Travel Concession Voucher and Festival advance scheme.
Interest-free advance of ₹10,000 will be given to govt employees
Renowned Indian-origin South African human rights lawyer Priscilla Jana who represented many anti-apartheid political leaders, including Nelson Mandela, has passed away at 76. In 2017, Jana received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Woza Awards.
Jana served as S.A. Ambassador in the Netherlands & Ireland.
Puducherry airport has become the Airports Authority of India's (AAI) first entirely solar-powered airport in the country with the commissioning of 500KWp ground-mounted solar power plant at a cost of Rs 2.8 crore.
Puducherry was a French colonial settlement in India until 1954.