19th October, 2021 Current Affairs
National
Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi being celebrated across country; PM greets people
- Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad is being celebrated with due reverence across the country.
- In most of the places, various organizing committees have decided not to take out Milad processions amidst Corona restrictions. However, in some states, authorities have allowed downsized processions with limited number of people adhering to COVID norms and guidelines.
- Besides, highlighting the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad 'MiladMehfils' and online 'Seerat Conferences' are being held.
- President, Vice President and Prime Minster greeted people on Milad-un-Nabi.
PM Modi speaks to Uttarakhand CM to take stock of situation as heavy rain lashes state
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Minister from Uttarakhand Ajay Bhatt and took stock of the situation arising due to heavy rainfall.
- Incessant rain is being experienced across the State. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rain warning in most parts of the state.
- Heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand claimed 11 more lives in Nainital and Almora districts of Kumaon region, taking the death toll in the rain incident to 16 in the state.
- Rescue and Relief Operation is being carried out by the Army and NDRF along with District Administration. The help of Army helicopters is also being taken for relief work. Two helicopters will be deployed in Kumaon and one in Garhwal.
- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is conducting aerial inspection of areas affected by heavy rains. He will also conduct on-site inspection of the affected areas.
- The Chief Minister said the State Government and Administration in the state is in full alert mode. Prime Minister assured that all possible help would be given to the state.
- Meanwhile, Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district and Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway in Chamoli district is blocked at several places following landslides triggerd by heavy rain.
UGC recognizes Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery under specified Degrees
- The University Grants Commission has issued notification recognizing Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery (BSRMS) under the specified Degrees.
- Duration of the degree will be of minimum of five years and Ten plus Two (10+2) is fixed as entry qualification.
- In a gazette notification issued on 14th of October, UGC recognized BSRMS as a new degree under Medicine & Surgery, Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy and Health & Allied Sciences, Pharmacy, Paramedical and Nursing.
- Sowa Rigpa is a traditional and popular medicinal practice in the Himalayan region.
- So far, only two deemed to be universities, namely Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS) in Leh and Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) located in Saranath are offering the degree in Sowa Rigpa medicine. With UGC recognition, any university could offer BSRMS degree in their colleges.
International
India, US, UAE and Israel discuss range of issues including maritime security - S Jaishankar
- External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar termed his first meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the US, UAE and Israel as fruitful.
- In a tweet, Dr. Jaishankar said, the Ministers discussed working together on economic growth and global issues and agreed on expeditious follow-up.
- Dr. Jaishankar's remarks came after the Minister along with his Israeli counterpart YairLapidjoined a virtual meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
- US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price informed during the meeting, the Ministers discussed a range of issues including climate change, energy cooperation, maritime security, and expanding economic and political cooperation in the respective regions.
- They also discussed future opportunities for collaboration in the region and also at the global level.
- Earlier, India and Israel agreed to recognize COVID-19 vaccination certificates of each other. This was announced by External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar following talks with his Israeli counterpart YairLapid.
- Dr. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to Israel, held meetings with government officials, business leaders and the Indian Jewish community there. After the talks with Israeli Foreign Minister, Dr. Jaishankar said, he had a very productive discussion on a wide range of regional and global issues.
- Dr.Jaishankar said, he discussed resumption of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two countries next month. Dr. Jaishankar also discussed with Mr. Lapid about Israel’s joining the International Solar Alliance.
China denies testing hypersonic nuclear missile
- China says it has tested a hypersonic space vehicle in July and denied the media report of testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile.
- A leading British newspaper had reported on Sunday that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August that circled the globe before speeding towards its target, demonstrating an advanced space capability that caught US intelligence by surprise.
- Meanwhile, the United States has accused China of deviating from its minimal nuclear deterrence strategy reacting to the report that Beijing had recently tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile.
- US State Department spokesman Ned Price sought to dismiss any attempts to play down its significance. He cited a US count of “at least” 250 ballistic missile launches by China in the nine months through September.
- The British newspaper in its report on Saturday said, the missile missed its target by about two-dozen miles, according to three people briefed on the intelligence. But the test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realized.
- Responding to it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing in Beijing that a test of a hypersonic vehicle was carried out. "It was not a missile, it was a space vehicle," he said, adding it had been a "routine test" for the purpose of testing technology to reuse the vehicle.
- The significance of a reusability test is that it can "provide a cheap and convenient method for humans to peacefully travel to and from space", Zhao said, adding that many companies had carried out similar tests.
India, Israel agree to resume negotiations on FTA next month
- India and Israel have agreed to resume negotiations on Free Trade Agreement next month.
- Israeli Foreign Minister YairLapid, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said talks will start in November and expressed confidence that negotiations will be concluded by June next year.
- Both Ministers discussed a wide range of regional and global issues. They agreed in principle on mutual recognition of Covid vaccination certification. Dr. Jaishankar also welcomed Israel as the newest member of International Solar Alliance.
Economy
RBI imposes penalty of one crore on SBI, 1.95 crore on Standard Chartered Bank
- The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of one crore rupees on the State Bank of India and 1.95 crore rupees on Standard Chartered Bank.
- In different notifications issued from Mumbai, RBI said, State Bank has been penalized for violating norms related to delay in reporting of fraud while Standard Chartered Bank has been penalized for violating norms related to customer protection and cyber security framework.
- It added that Standard Chartered Bank had shown deficiencies while crediting back the amount involved in unauthorized electronic transactions, not reporting cyber security incidents within the prescribed time period, authorizing the direct sales agents to conduct KYC verification and failure to ensure integrity and quality of data submitted in ‘Central Repository of Information on Large Credits.
- RBI has however, said that the action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered by the bank with its customers.
Rs. 814 cr received in dividend tranches from 5 CPSEs: DIPAM Secy
Secretary of Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) TuhinKanta Pandey has said that dividend tranches of about 296 crore rupees have been received from Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) and 233 crore rupees from Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).
In a tweet, Mr. Pandey said, Oil India Limited- OIL has paid about 92 crore rupees, KIOCL 99 crore rupees and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam SJVN 94 crore rupees as dividend tranches to Government of India.