Notes

1. MSME Minister Narayan Rane launches India Export Initiative and IndiaXports 2021 Portal.
(Latest Current Affairs Questions and Answers of 1st October 2021)

Union Minister for MSMEs Narayan Rane virtually inaugurated the India Export Initiative and IndiaXports 2021 Portal of India SME Forum in New Delhi today. He was accompanied by MoS Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma and senior officers of the Ministry.

Speaking on the occasion, Rane expressed confidence of India driving the export growth with the help of MSMEs and achieving the target of 400 Billion USD by this fiscal and achieving the challenging target of 1 trillion in exports by 2027. He said, to enhance exports and ensure localization it is essential to make the country a global manufacturing powerhouse by improving India’s manufacturing base. This can be achieved by scaling up India’s competitive advantage or augmenting the competitiveness of MSMEs and make India a preferred destination for manufacturing for the world. The Minister said, to reduce the trade balance and reduce imports, MSME will play an import role and it can be done through increasing their manufacturing capabilities. He added that adopting a holistic approach will make India a global manufacturing and leading export hub.


2. Denmark has topped ‘Digital Quality of Life Index 2021’.
(1st October 2021 Current Affairs Quiz of 1st October 2021)

The third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranks India 59th among 110 countries. Covering 90% of the global population, the DQL study is conducted by the cybersecurity company Surfshark and evaluates countries based on a set of five fundamental digital wellbeing pillars. India ranks 33rd in e-government, 36th in e-security, 47th in internet affordability, 67th in internet quality and shows the lowest result in e-infrastructure, which comes only in 91st place.

Overall, India has demonstrated a slight drop compared to DQL 2020, falling from 59th to 61st place. The country now comes 17th in Asia and 1st in the Southern Asia region. India’s e-security has improved by 76% since last year and now ranks higher than China’s, the study found.


3. Stellapps, Airtel Payments Bank partnered for Cashless Fund Transfer to Small Dairy Farmers.
(Today’s Current Affairs Quiz of 1st October 2021)

Airtel Payments Bank will now onboard the new partner milk collection centers of Stellapps as banking points. With milk collection centers operating as a banking point, farmers and other residents in the neighborhood will no longer have to travel long distances through these banking points, they will be able to open a bank account, withdraw and deposit cash, earn interest on savings, access Aadhaar Enabled Payments, get government pension schemes and make bill payments.

Rahul Mallick, CEO, Stellapps Fintech and Value Added Services app, said they are very excited to partner with Airtel Payments Bank as it will strengthen their service offering, help over one million dairy farmers with their banking needs and drive financial inclusion in the rural economy. “Effectively financial inclusion and prosperity goes hand-in-hand. Stellapps through its network and partner dairies is enabling payments, credit and insurance directly to farmers and Airtel Payments Bank’s assistance will provide products and services that have the potential to further increase farmer productivity and provide financial opportunities for them to further innovate and prosper.”

Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank, said they are delighted to partner with Stellapps to enable cashless payment transfers for the small dairy farmers. “Direct payments help farmers to be financially independent. Our unique and extensive distribution network allows us to offer the benefits of formal banking to these farmers. The initial success of this initiative has encouraged us to expand it nationally. This is in line with our stated philosophy of financial inclusion for all.”


4. RBI removes Indian Overseas Bank from Prompt Corrective Action framework.
(Top 20 Objective Current Affairs Quiz of 1st October 2021)

Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday announced removal of Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) restrictions on Indian Overseas Bank (IOB). This decision gives the bank more freedom for lending, especially to corporations and grow the network, subject to presribed norms.

It has been decided that Indian Overseas Bank is taken out of the PCA restrictions subject to certain conditions and continuous monitoring, said the banking regulator. RBI said IOB was not in breach of PCA parameters as per its March quarter earnings.

"The bank has provided a written commitment that it would comply with the norms of Minimum Regulatory Capital, Net NPA and Leverage ratio on an ongoing basis and has apprised the RBI of the structural and systemic improvements that it has put in place which would help the bank in continuing to meet these commitments," said RBI.


5. Delhi-based organisation, LIFE wins 2021 Right Livelihood Award.
(Top 20 MCQs on Current Affairs of 1st October 2021)

Delhi-based environmental organisation Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) has received the 2021 Right Livelihood Award for its “grassroots approach of empowering vulnerable communities to protect their livelihoods and claim their right to a clean environment.” The award is known as Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize.

Other awardees include Cameroonian women rights activist Marthe Wandou, Russian environmental activist Vladimir Slivyak, and Canadian Indigenous rights defender Freda Huson.

The Right Livelihood Award honours and supports people solving global problems. It comes with a cash prize of 1 million Swedish crowns ($115,000) and long-term support to highlight and expand Laureates’ work.


6. Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is set to become the 100th PM of Japan.
(Top 20 Current Affairs Quiz of 1st October 2021)

Japan’s governing party on Wednesday elected Fumio Kishida as its new leader and the presumed next prime minister of the world’s third-largest economy and a major U.S. ally.

In an unusually suspenseful race for leadership of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida, 64, a former foreign minister, defeated Taro Kono, the minister in charge of Covid-19 vaccines, in a runoff vote.

Lawmakers in Parliament, which is controlled by the LDP, are expected to vote on a new prime minister on Monday. Kishida, 64, will be Japan’s 100th prime minister since it adopted a cabinet system in 1885.


7. NASA launches Landsat 9 Earth observation satellite.
(Important Current Affairs Quiz of 1st October 2021)

NASA launched its powerful new Landsat 9 Earth-observing satellite into orbit on Sept. 27, 2021, on a mission to monitor our planet's land resources.

The mission rode to orbit on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. See photos of the launch and mission preparations in this Space.com gallery!


8. Management guru Bala V Balachandran passes away.
(Most Important Current Affairs Quiz of 1st October 2021)

Professor Bala V Balachandran, the management guru and founder of the Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM), passed away after a brief illness in Chicago. He was 84.

According to news agency PTI, Balachandran breathed his last at around 4 AM (local time) on September 27 when he was sleeping. He was not keeping well for some time and is survived by his wife, two sons and grandchildren.


9. England’s Football World Cup Winner & Liverpool Striker Roger Hunt passed away.
(Latest Current Affairs PDF of 1st October 2021)

England’s World Cup-winning striker Roger Hunt died at the age of 83 on Monday following a long illness, his former club said.

Hunt, who scored three goals during England’s victorious World Cup campaign on home soil in 1966, was also Liverpool’s record scorer with 285 goals in 492 appearances until Ian Rush broke the record in 1992.

Under Bill Shankly, Hunt helped Liverpool win two league titles and their first FA Cup trophy in 1964-65 when he scored in the final against Leeds United. His tally of 244 league goals is still a club record.


10. International Translation Day 2021 was observed on September 30.
(Today’s Current Affairs Capsule of 1st October 2021)

September 30 is celebrated globally as International Translation Day by the International Federation of Translators (FIT) in honour of translation professionals. The said date was chosen because it coincides with the day of the feast of St. Jerome, who translated the Bible, and is considered as the patron saint of translators.

Though FIT, since its establishment in 1953, has been observing this day, the first formal celebrations of the global translation day took place only in 1991. However, it was on May 24, 2017, when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), through resolution 71/288, officially recognised September 30 as the date to celebrate International Translation Day. Total 11 countries were signatories to the draft resolution: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Qatar, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.


11. England’s Football World Cup Winner & Liverpool Striker Roger Hunt passed away.
(Daily Current Affairs in Short of 1st October 2021)

England’s World Cup-winning striker Roger Hunt died at the age of 83 on Monday following a long illness, his former club said.

Hunt, who scored three goals during England’s victorious World Cup campaign on home soil in 1966, was also Liverpool’s record scorer with 285 goals in 492 appearances until Ian Rush broke the record in 1992.

Under Bill Shankly, Hunt helped Liverpool win two league titles and their first FA Cup trophy in 1964-65 when he scored in the final against Leeds United. His tally of 244 league goals is still a club record.


12. Management guru Bala V Balachandran passes away.
(Latest Current Affairs of 1st October 2021)

Professor Bala V Balachandran, the management guru and founder of the Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM), passed away after a brief illness in Chicago. He was 84.

According to news agency PTI, Balachandran breathed his last at around 4 AM (local time) on September 27 when he was sleeping. He was not keeping well for some time and is survived by his wife, two sons and grandchildren.


13. NASA launches Landsat 9 Earth observation satellite.
(Daily Current Affairs of 1st October 2021)

NASA launched its powerful new Landsat 9 Earth-observing satellite into orbit on Sept. 27, 2021, on a mission to monitor our planet's land resources.

The mission rode to orbit on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. See photos of the launch and mission preparations in this Space.com gallery!


14. Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is set to become the 100th PM of Japan.
(Today’s Current Affairs of 1st October 2021)

Japan’s governing party on Wednesday elected Fumio Kishida as its new leader and the presumed next prime minister of the world’s third-largest economy and a major U.S. ally.

In an unusually suspenseful race for leadership of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida, 64, a former foreign minister, defeated Taro Kono, the minister in charge of Covid-19 vaccines, in a runoff vote.

Lawmakers in Parliament, which is controlled by the LDP, are expected to vote on a new prime minister on Monday. Kishida, 64, will be Japan’s 100th prime minister since it adopted a cabinet system in 1885.


15. Delhi-based organisation, LIFE wins 2021 Right Livelihood Award.
(Quiz on Current Affairs of 1st October 2021)

Delhi-based environmental organisation Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) has received the 2021 Right Livelihood Award for its “grassroots approach of empowering vulnerable communities to protect their livelihoods and claim their right to a clean environment.” The award is known as Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize.

Other awardees include Cameroonian women rights activist Marthe Wandou, Russian environmental activist Vladimir Slivyak, and Canadian Indigenous rights defender Freda Huson.

The Right Livelihood Award honours and supports people solving global problems. It comes with a cash prize of 1 million Swedish crowns ($115,000) and long-term support to highlight and expand Laureates’ work.


16. RBI removes Indian Overseas Bank from Prompt Corrective Action framework.
(Free Current Affairs PDF of 1st October 2021)

Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday announced removal of Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) restrictions on Indian Overseas Bank (IOB). This decision gives the bank more freedom for lending, especially to corporations and grow the network, subject to presribed norms.

It has been decided that Indian Overseas Bank is taken out of the PCA restrictions subject to certain conditions and continuous monitoring, said the banking regulator. RBI said IOB was not in breach of PCA parameters as per its March quarter earnings.

"The bank has provided a written commitment that it would comply with the norms of Minimum Regulatory Capital, Net NPA and Leverage ratio on an ongoing basis and has apprised the RBI of the structural and systemic improvements that it has put in place which would help the bank in continuing to meet these commitments," said RBI.


17. Stellapps, Airtel Payments Bank partnered for Cashless Fund Transfer to Small Dairy Farmers.
(Questions and Answers of 1st October 2021 Current Affairs)

Airtel Payments Bank will now onboard the new partner milk collection centers of Stellapps as banking points. With milk collection centers operating as a banking point, farmers and other residents in the neighborhood will no longer have to travel long distances through these banking points, they will be able to open a bank account, withdraw and deposit cash, earn interest on savings, access Aadhaar Enabled Payments, get government pension schemes and make bill payments.

Rahul Mallick, CEO, Stellapps Fintech and Value Added Services app, said they are very excited to partner with Airtel Payments Bank as it will strengthen their service offering, help over one million dairy farmers with their banking needs and drive financial inclusion in the rural economy. “Effectively financial inclusion and prosperity goes hand-in-hand. Stellapps through its network and partner dairies is enabling payments, credit and insurance directly to farmers and Airtel Payments Bank’s assistance will provide products and services that have the potential to further increase farmer productivity and provide financial opportunities for them to further innovate and prosper.”

Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank, said they are delighted to partner with Stellapps to enable cashless payment transfers for the small dairy farmers. “Direct payments help farmers to be financially independent. Our unique and extensive distribution network allows us to offer the benefits of formal banking to these farmers. The initial success of this initiative has encouraged us to expand it nationally. This is in line with our stated philosophy of financial inclusion for all.”


18. Denmark has topped ‘Digital Quality of Life Index 2021’.
(Current GK of 1st October 2021)

The third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranks India 59th among 110 countries. Covering 90% of the global population, the DQL study is conducted by the cybersecurity company Surfshark and evaluates countries based on a set of five fundamental digital wellbeing pillars. India ranks 33rd in e-government, 36th in e-security, 47th in internet affordability, 67th in internet quality and shows the lowest result in e-infrastructure, which comes only in 91st place.

Overall, India has demonstrated a slight drop compared to DQL 2020, falling from 59th to 61st place. The country now comes 17th in Asia and 1st in the Southern Asia region. India’s e-security has improved by 76% since last year and now ranks higher than China’s, the study found.


20. MSME Minister Narayan Rane launches India Export Initiative and IndiaXports 2021 Portal.
(Current GK of 1st October 2021)

Union Minister for MSMEs Narayan Rane virtually inaugurated the India Export Initiative and IndiaXports 2021 Portal of India SME Forum in New Delhi today. He was accompanied by MoS Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma and senior officers of the Ministry.

Speaking on the occasion, Rane expressed confidence of India driving the export growth with the help of MSMEs and achieving the target of 400 Billion USD by this fiscal and achieving the challenging target of 1 trillion in exports by 2027. He said, to enhance exports and ensure localization it is essential to make the country a global manufacturing powerhouse by improving India’s manufacturing base. This can be achieved by scaling up India’s competitive advantage or augmenting the competitiveness of MSMEs and make India a preferred destination for manufacturing for the world. The Minister said, to reduce the trade balance and reduce imports, MSME will play an import role and it can be done through increasing their manufacturing capabilities. He added that adopting a holistic approach will make India a global manufacturing and leading export hub.