National News

6th EU-India Water Forum

• India and the European Union (EU) agreed to strengthen cooperation in sustainable water management at the 6th EU-India Water Forum, held on the sidelines of the 8th India Water Week in New Delhi.

About EU

19th Divya Kala Mela

• Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar inaugurated the 19th Divya Kala Mela, in Visakhapatnam, organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan).
• The Mela showcased the products and craftsmanship of Divyang entrepreneurs/artisans from across the country, from 19th - 29th September 2024.

Initiatives for Welfare of Divyangjans

India-Myanmar border fencing

• The Indian government has approved a ₹31,000 crore project to fence the entire 1,643 km India-Myanmar border to tackle smuggling issues.

About Myanmar

White Revolution 2.0

• Union Minister Amit Shah launched several initiatives including the cooperative-led White Revolution 2.0 to transform the dairy sector and standard operating procedures (SOP) for the nationwide rollout of the 'cooperation among cooperatives' campaign.

Additional Info:

International News

BRICS

• Russia announced to support Pakistan’s bid to join BRICS.

About BRICS

Indus Water Treaty

• India has formally notified Pakistan to review the Indus Water Treaty, citing significant changes in circumstances.

About Indus Water Treaty

EU vs Google

• Google won a legal challenge against a €1.49 billion ($1.66 billion)  antitrust fine from the EU, while chipmaker Qualcomm could not overturn its penalty.

State Special

MSME Policy 2024 by Telangana

• Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has launched the MSME Policy 2024 to address six major challenges faced by MSMEs, with a ₹4,000 crore investment over five years.

About Telangana

60.65% Voting in Phase-1 in J&K

• Jammu & Kashmir saw a historic voter turnout of 60.65% in its first assembly elections in phase-1.

About Jammu and Kashmir

Economy

Initiatives/Projects approved by Union Cabinet

• Approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan with a total outlay of ₹79,156 crore, to improve the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities.
• Approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) to ensure remunerative prices for farmers and control price volatility of essential commodities. The total financial outlay is ₹35,000 crore during the 15th Finance Commission cycle, up to 2025-26.
• Approved the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers' proposal to fix the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for the RABI season 2024 (from 01.10.2024 to 31.03.2025) on Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilisers.
• Approved the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) and achieved an Indian crewed landing on the Moon by 2040.
• Approved Gaganyaan Follow-on Missions and building of Bhartiya Antriksh Station: Gaganyaan – Indian Human Spaceflight Programme revised to include building of first unit of BAS and related missions.
• Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS): Our own Space Station for Scientific research to be established with the launch of its first module in 2028.
• Approved the development of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), marking a significant step towards exploring and studying Venus, beyond just the Moon and Mars.
• Approved the establishment of a National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) in Mumbai.

About Cabinet

Framework for Service Authorisations

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released recommendations on the 'Framework for Service Authorisations' under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

Bio-RIDE

• The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of two umbrella schemes of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), merged into one scheme called ‘Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (Bio-RIDE)’ with a new component, Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry.

Components of Bio-RIDE

PM E-DRIVE Scheme

• The PM E-DRIVE Scheme, announced by Union Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy, aims to promote electric vehicle adoption through incentives and the development of charging infrastructure.

Initiatives related to E-Vehicle

Environment and Biodiversity

Green Revolution in Steel: Sustainable Innovation

• Union Minister of State for Steel, Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, inaugurated a two-day conference themed “Green Revolution in Steel – Sustainable Innovation.” He also released a 2024 Souvenir and Handbook on the Indian Steel Sector.

Additional Facts

CSIR for 5C for Global Sustainable Development

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) organised the event "CSIR for Connect, Collaborate, Converge and Convert (5C) for Global Sustainable Development" on September 18 and 19, 2024, as part of the Science Summit at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (SSUNGA79).

About CSIR

2nd Needs Determination Report

• The second Needs Determination Report (NDR) by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) indicated that between $5.012 trillion and $6.852 trillion will be needed cumulatively until 2030 to support developing nations in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

About UNFCCC

Science and Tech

Bluetongue Disease

• According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Italy has reported outbreaks of bluetongue disease in sheep, cattle, and a camel.

Bluetongue Disease

IP Sarthi Chat Bot

• Union Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the AI and Machine Learning for Trademark Search and the IP Sarthi Chat Bot in New Delhi.

Blood Group MAL

• A new blood group system called MAL has been identified by scientists from the University of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

Blood Groups

Cow Chip and Mahish Chip

• The government said that new technologies are being developed for cattle. Among them, genomic 'Cow Chip' and 'Mahish Chip' have been developed for buffaloes.

Defence

MoU between TMR and Indian Army

• The Indian Army has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tiranga Mountain Rescue (TMR) at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), Delhi Cantt, to conduct customised training programs for instructors, enhancing their skills in mentoring troops on avalanche rescue and survival.

About Indian Army

ICGS Sujay

• Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Sujay, along with an integral helicopter, made a port call at Bali, Indonesia,during its ongoing East Asia deployment.

About ICG

MoU between SIDM and EDCC

• The Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) signed two MoUs on Defence Industry Cooperation with the Emirates Defence Companies Council (EDCC) and EDGE Group UAE, which took place during the inaugural India-UAE Defence Industry Partnership Forum in Abu Dhabi on September 18, 2024.

About UAE

Awards and Honours

NMDC Ltd.

• National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Ltd. has been awarded the prestigious ‘Rajbhasha Kirti Award’ for 2023-2024 in the category for undertakings situated in the “C” region.

About NMDC Ltd.

Person in News

Arash Zerehtan

• Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian nominated Arash Zerehtan, a member of the Sunni Muslim minority to be governor of Kurdistan province.

 Ricky Ponting

• Ricky Ponting has been appointed as head coach of IPL team Punjab Kings.

 Shashi Tharoor

• Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will head the Standing Committee on External Affairs

 Charanjit Singh Channi

• Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will lead the Parliamentary panel on Agriculture. 

 Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

• Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka will head the panel on Rural Development.

 Digvijay Singh

• Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh will head the Standing Committee on Education.