Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu launched the virtual festival of Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of Music and Dance organised by Natya Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations. Natya Tarangini has been organising this for the past 23 years
UN HQ: New York, USA
Secretary-General: Antonio Guterres.
NITI Aayog has constituted a panel to look into introducing reforms in the urban planning education system headed by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar. Panel to examine the availability, demand and supply of qualified urban planners in the country.
It is a 14-member advisory committee.
The Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility was inaugurated by the MoS for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya. It is aimed to reduce logistics cost & increase the velocity of cargo transportation. The port signed MoU with CWC to operate the facility for 30 years.
Chairman of VOC Port Trust: T K Ramachandran.
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel that will connect Denmark and Germany, is scheduled to be opened by 2029. It is built with a budget of more than US$8 billion. It will have an 18 km extension and built across the Fehmarn Belt, a strait between the Germany & Denmark
Travelling to take 7 minutes by train and 10 minutes by car.
Luis Arce was elected as President of Bolivia in the elections held on October 18. He is the chosen successor of Evo Morales, who was president of the country from 2006 to 2019. Luis Arce is a member of the political party Movement Toward Socialism.
Bolivia Capital: La Paz, Sucre.
Currency: Boliviano.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh virtually launched phase two of the Rs 11000 crore Urban Environment Improvement Programme (UEIP). Under this, urban infrastructure and efficient service delivery systems are delivered to the urban population of Punjab
Punjab Capital: Chandigarh.
Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore.
Ladakh Lt Gov R. K. Mathur flagged off Ultimate Ladakh Cycling Challenge, at an altitude of 17,000 feet. Cyclists peddle a total of 263 km in the event. Later, they have to climb world’s 3rd highest Taglang La and the highest motorable road Khardung La.
Cycling Federation of India General Secretary: Maninder Singh.
Union Home Ministry notified that Real Estate Act, 2016 in J&K have been repealed. The centre omitted the phrase "permanent resident of the state" from Section 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, which deals with disposal of the land in the UT.
Article 35A prohibited non J&K citizens from buying land in J&K.
Private-sector Bank CSB entered into a partnership with non-banking finance company, IIFL Finance (IIFL) for sourcing and managing retail gold loan assets. IIFL, with its vast branch network, to help bank to penetrate rural areas to increase customer base.
CSB Bank HQ: Thrissur
CEO: C.VR. Rajendran.
RBI asked all lending institutions, including NBFCs to implement the waiver of interest on interest for loans up to Rs 2 crore for the six months moratorium period beginning March 1, 2020. Housing loans, education loans are covered under the scheme.
Credit card due, MSME loan, Consumer durables loans also covered
Ghanshyam Jha was administered the oath of office of the Chairman of J&K State Water Resources Regulatory Authority (SWRRA). Jha earlier served as the Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC). SWRRA is responsible for regulating water resources within J&K.
Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha.
Wealth per adult in India rose 0.6% to USD 17,420, despite covid-19. Personal debt per adult was reduced to USD 1,080. Population with wealth below USD 10,000 fell from 78% to 73% & proportion of adults with wealth above USD 100,000 rose from 1.8% to 2.3%.
Credit Suisse research -based on estimates from Karvy Pvt Wealth
IIT-Kanpur & the Archaeological Survey of India signed an agreement with two institutions Ca'Foscari University of Venice, Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti E Paesaggio, Venice from Italy, seeking restoration and protection of historical monuments.
Italy Capital: Rome
President: Sergio Mattarella
Currency: Euro
India and the USA during the 3rd edition of the 2+2 dialogue, signed the crucial Indo-US Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which pertains to geospatial intelligence, sharing information on maps and satellite images for defence purposes.
Yudh Abhyas: bilateral exercise hosted by Indian & U.S. Armies.
Nasa's SOFIA telescope confirmed the presence of water on the moon's surface. It indicates that water may be distributed across the surface and not limited to cold, shadowed places. The ice-rich areas have been found near the moon's north & south poles.
SOFIA - Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.
Night of the Restless Spirits’ author Sarbpreet Singh’s recounts the Sikh massacre of 1984. The book is a fictionalised version of real happenings comprising just eight chapters. It shows the events of 1984 through the prism of many lives & impact on Sikhs
Night of the Restless Spirits is published by Penguin.
Department of Posts & US Postal Service USPS entered into an agreement for electronic exchange of customs data related to postal shipments. It will enable to transmit & receive electronic data of international postal items prior to their physical arrival
World Post Day is observed every year on 9th October.