16th-18th September, 2023

1. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of Bal Raksha Bharat, Srinivas Malliah Memorial Theatre Crafts Museum and Self-employed women’s association (SEWA).
2. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the Skill India Digital (SID) platform.
3. Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has extended the tenure of the Company Law Committee by 1 year, until September 16, 2024.
4. Supreme Courthas integrated its case data on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDC).
5. Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Purshottam Rupala has launched a Shrimp crop insurance scheme developed by Agricultural Insurance Company (AIC).
6. Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, in partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), has organized a multi-sectoral workshop “Risk-based management of spill over events in wildlife in India”.
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Downstream Petrochemical Complex and Refinery Expansion Project, at BPCL’s Bina Refinery in Bina, Madhya Pradesh.
8. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Narayana healthcare “TB-Mukt Express“, a mobile medical van has been flagged off in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.
9. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released the National List of Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP).
10. HaryanaChief Minister has launched a new e-Bhoomi portalthat aims to further ease the process of purchasing land for the development of government projects with the consent of landowners.
11. Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur railway station has been renamed as ‘Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Railway Station’ 
12. Tamil Nadu state government has launched social welfare initiative — Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam (Kalaignar Women’s Rights Grant Scheme).
13. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has launched ‘Griha Aadhar Scheme’.
14. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has launched the Mukhya Mantri Shramik Kalyan Yojana (MMSKY).
15. India and Russia have agreed on training for seafarers in polar and Arctic waters at Russian Maritime Training Institute in Vladivostok, Russia.
16. Yes Bankhas partnered with Juspay, India’s leading payments company, to launch HyperUPI, a plug-in Software Development Toolkit (SDK) developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
17. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a RuPay ON-THE-GO (OTG) ringnamed as 7 Ring, the first contactless payment wearable ring which was made in India.
18. IndusInd Bank in partnership with Visaand Juspay has launched a “virtual commercial card” with additional layers of security to give the cardholders a complete control over cross-border transactions for corporates and travel agents.
19. Fitch Ratings in its special report titled Global Economic Outlook – September 2023 has retained India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)’s growth forecast for the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) at 3%and projected growth rate of 6.5% for FY 2024-2025.
20. Indian Bank has introduced a new initiative called ‘IB SAATHI’ (Sustainable Access and Aligning Technology for Holistic Inclusion)to bolster its financial inclusion efforts.
21. Indian Navy’s Diving Support and Submarine Rescue Vessel, INS Nireekshak is participating in an India-SriLanka joint dive training.
22. Prime Minister Narendra Modihas retained top position as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 76%, according to a survey by US-based consultancy firm ‘Morning Consult’.
23. 15 September: National Engineer’s Day 2023
24. 15 September: International Day of Democracy 2023
25. 16 September: International Red Panda Day
26. 16 September: International Coastal Cleanup Day
27. 16 September: World Ozone Day (International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer)
28. Rajnish Kumar, former chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI) has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of Mastercard India.
29. Mircea Snegur who served as the first President of the independent Moldova has passed away.
30. West Nile virus cases have been increasing in the several states of US.
31. India Club in London, which has served as a cultural and culinary hub for the Indian community in the UK, has been permanently closed.

National News

1. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of Bal Raksha Bharat, Srinivas Malliah Memorial Theatre Crafts Museum and Self-employed women’s association (SEWA).
   • MHA grants FCRA licences to NGOs for 5 years and evaluates based on annual returns and foreign grants received for their intended purposes.
   • Misuse or diversion of foreign funds by NGOs is a violation of the FCRA Act.
   • FCRA act regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution by certain individuals or associations or companies and prohibits them if detrimental to the national interest.
     Source: ET

2. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the Skill India Digital (SID) platform.
   • SID is India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for skilling, education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
     • DPI refers to blocks or platforms such as digital identification, payment infrastructure and data exchange solutionsthat help countries deliver essential services to their people, empowering citizens and improving lives by enabling digital inclusion.
   • The digital platform includes both a website and a mobile Application that was developed by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It is available in multiple Indian languages.

3. Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has extended the tenure of the Company Law Committee by 1 year, until September 16, 2024.
   • The Company Law Committee was set up in 2019 with a tenure of one year (2020), and its tenure was successively extended year after year.
   • The committee has been tasked with examining and recommending the government on different matters concerning the implementation of the Companies Act, 2013, and the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)Act, 2008.
   • Objectives:
     • To promote the Ease of Living in the country by providing ease of doing business to law-abiding corporates.
     • To Promote improved corporate compliance for all stakeholders.
     • To address emerging issues having an impact on the working of companies in India.
       Source: ET
4. Supreme Courthas integrated its case data on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDC).
   • The integration with NJDG is part of an ‘Open Data Policy (ODP)’ to provide transparent case information to the public.
   • The NJDG portal is a national repository of datarelating to cases instituted, pending, and disposed of by the courts across the country.
   • It is a database of orders, judgments and casedetails of 18,735 District and subordinate Courts and High Courts created as an online platform under the e-Courts Project.
     Source: IE
5. Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Purshottam Rupala has launched a Shrimp crop insurance scheme developed by Agricultural Insurance Company (AIC).
   • The scheme was launched during 2nd Edition of ICAR-Central Institute of Brackish water Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA) Shrimp Farmers Conclave-2023 at Navsari, Gujarat.
   • The policy is open for black tiger prawn, white leg shrimp, scampi and others.
   • It providesinsurance coverage from the initial stages of shrimp cultivation and extends up to 130 days, ensuring comprehensive protection for farmers throughout the crucial growth period of their shrimp.
     Source: IE
6. Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, in partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), has organized a multi-sectoral workshop “Risk-based management of spill over events in wildlife in India”.
   • The workshop focused on four key objectives-
     • Enhancing stakeholder knowledge about wildlife-origin disease risk analysis
     • Conducting a thorough gap analysis of India’s risk assessment and management
     • Simulating disease spillover scenarios
     • Fostering communication and awareness among relevant stakeholders
       Source: PIB
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Downstream Petrochemical Complex and Refinery Expansion Project, at BPCL’s Bina Refinery in Bina, Madhya Pradesh.
   • The refinery will be developed at a cost of about 49,000 crores, and produce about 1200 KTPA (Kilo-Tonnes Per Annum) of ethylene and propylene.

   Other projects inaugurated-

   • Power and Renewable Energy Manufacturing Zone’ in Narmadapuram and Mega Industrial Park in Ratlam.
   • 2 IT Park in Indore and six new industrial Parks across the state.
     Source: ET

8. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Narayana healthcare “TB-Mukt Express“, a mobile medical van has been flagged off in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.
   • The van with the slogan “Chalo Chale TB ko Harane” will visit different villages in Udhampur constituency.
     Source: PIB
9. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released the National List of Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP).
   • The NLEAP is a list of 21 APs and technologies that are deemed essential for individuals with functional impairments to improve their quality of life and participation in the society.
   • The 21 APs are visual aids, hearing aids, wheelchairs, walkers and rollators, canes for visually-impaired people, canes or sticks for locomotion, crutches, orthosis, prosthesis, therapeutic footwear, Braille, tactile and audio signages, portable ramps, tricycles, phone, cochlear implants, deaf-blind communicators, rail bars and bedside guards, modified commode chair, fall detectors and incontinence products.
     Source: BS

State News

1. Haryana Chief Minister has launched a new e-Bhoomi portal that aims to further ease the process of purchasing land for the development of government projects with the consent of landowners.
   • The government aims to purchase land in a transparent manner with the consent of the landowners. Apart from farmers, aggregators will also be able to offer land on this portal.
     Source: ET
2. Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur railway station has been renamed as ‘Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Railway Station’ 
   • Captain Tushar Mahajan lost his life while trying to protect his fellow Army personnel during a gunfight with terrorists during Pulwama attack.
     Source: ET
3. Tamil Nadu state government has launched social welfare initiative — Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam (Kalaignar Women’s Rights Grant Scheme).
   • Under this scheme, Rs 1,000 per month will be deposited to the accounts of all eligible women beneficiaries.
     Source: CNBC
4. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has launched ‘Griha Aadhar Scheme’.
   • The scheme targets all the homemakers of the family by supporting them financially by disbursing 1500 per month.
     Source: ANI
5. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has launched the Mukhya Mantri Shramik Kalyan Yojana (MMSKY).
   • The scheme aims to enhance the welfare of the state’s labor force and offers various incentives and benefits for registered workers.
     Source: NoA

International News

1. India and Russia have agreed on training for seafarers in polar and Arctic waters at Russian Maritime Training Institute in Vladivostok, Russia.
   Source: IE

Banking and Economy

1. Yes Bank has partnered with Juspay, India’s leading payments company, to launch HyperUPI, a plug-in Software Development Toolkit (SDK) developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
   Source: LM
2. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a RuPay ON-THE-GO (OTG) ringnamed as 7 Ring, the first contactless payment wearable ring which was made in India.
   • 7 Ring is designed, assembled, manufactured and patented in India.
   • The ring is made in collaboration with 7 (Sevenring Innovations Private Limited) and LivQuik Technology (India) Private Limited.
   • The ring allows to make payment by just placing the fist on a Point of Sale (POS) device
     Source: inc
3. IndusInd Bank in partnership with Visaand Juspay has launched a “virtual commercial card” with additional layers of security to give the cardholders a complete control over cross-border transactions for corporates and travel agents.
   • The card is built on the Visa Payables Automation platform.
     Source: BS
4. Fitch Ratings in its special report titled Global Economic Outlook – September 2023 has retained India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)’s growth forecast for the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) at 6.3%and projected growth rate of 6.5% for FY 2024-2025.
   • Earlier in June 2023, the rating agency had revised its forecast to 6.3% from the 6%.
   • Despite tight monetary policy and poor export, the economy is striving to grow.
   • The Indian economy grew at 7.8% in the first quarter (Q1 – April to June) in FY 2023-24.
     Source: ET
5. Indian Bank has introduced a new initiative called ‘IB SAATHI’ (Sustainable Access and Aligning Technology for Holistic Inclusion) to bolster its financial inclusion efforts.
   • The initiative will offer simplified delivery of services, including both basic and value-added offerings.
   • Indian Bank is planning to deploy around 5,000 banking correspondents by March 2024 to enhance accessibility and reach.
     Source: ET

Defence News

1. Indian Navy’s Diving Support and Submarine Rescue Vessel, INS Nireekshak is participating in an India-SriLanka joint dive training.
   • The diving teams of both the Navies would participate in diving exercises towards enhancing interoperability, cohesiveness and exchange of Best Practices.
     Source: IN

Awards

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modihas retained top position as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 76%, according to a survey by US-based consultancy firm ‘Morning Consult’.

Source: LM

Important Days

1. 15 September: National Engineer’s Day 2023
   • Purpose: To commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya(15 September 1861), one of the greatest Engineers in India, who is known as India’s first civil Engineer.
   • Theme: Engineering for a Sustainable Future
   • In 1968, the Government of India (GoI) declared the birth anniversary of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, as National Engineers’ Day.
     Source: ToI
2. 15 September: International Day of Democracy 2023
   • Purpose: To highlight the significance of democracy and to create awareness among the people about democratic rights.
   • Theme: Empowering the next generation
   • On 8th November 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution and proclaimed the 15th September of every year as the International Day of Democracy.
   • The first International Day of Democracy was observed on 15 September 2008.
     Source: HT
3. 16 September: International Red Panda Day
   • History: Initially established by the Red Panda Network (NGO, headquartered in United States) in 2010 to raise the awareness about the significant decrease in the population of this species found in dense forests of Asia.
   • Red pandas are found in the southwest region of China and the eastern Himalayas.
     Source: cnbc
4. 16 September: International Coastal Cleanup Day
   • The day is celebrated globally on the third Saturday of September, every year.
   • It was founded by Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara, who worked with the Ocean Conservancy.
   • First International Day was celebrated in the year
     Source: OC
5. 16 September: World Ozone Day (International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer)
   • Theme: “Montreal Protocol: Fixing the Ozone Layer and Reducing Climate Change”
   • Purpose: To commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental treaty for phasing out of production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances, that came into force on this day in 1987.
   • Announced– 1994
     Source: UN

Appointments

1. Rajnish Kumar, former chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI) has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of Mastercard India.
   Source: LM

Miscellaneous

1. Mircea Snegur who served as the first President of the independent Moldova has passed away.
   Source: Reuters
2. West Nile virus cases have been increasing in the several states of US.
   • It is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus.
   • It is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia.
   • It can cause neurological disease and death in people.
     Source: HT

3. India Club in London, which has served as a cultural and culinary hub for the Indian community in the UK, has been permanently closed.
   • It was founded in 1951 by the India League, a British organization that initially advocated for Indian independence and later aimed to build Indo-British friendship in the post-independence era.
     Source: telegraph

   
   

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