2017 International Day of Peace on September 21
- The United Nations’ International Day of Peace is observed every year on September 21 to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. This year, in 2017, the day will focus on engaging and mobilizing people throughout the world to show support for refugees and migrants.
India signed MoU with Sri Lanka to upgrade Thondaman Vocational Training Centre
- India and Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to upgrade Thondaman Vocational Training Centre at Hatton located in Nuwara Eliya district of the Island nation.
- The up gradation of the center will be done using a grant of around Rs 9 crore from the Government of India.
Awards/Prizes
Zannah Mustapha has won the 2017 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.
- Zannah Mustapha, a Nigerian lawyer and teacher, has won the 2017 UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugees Award for his crucial mediating role and efforts to help children affected by the insurgency in the country.
“Newton” is the India’s official entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category at Oscars 2018
- Amit Masurkar’s acclaimed political satire “Newton” has been selected as India’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars 2018.
- Rajkummar Rao played a role of Newton Kumar, a presiding officer who is determined to hold a free and fair election in a Chhattisgarh village despite the threat of Naxalite violence and all-round cynicism.
- Prof C.N.R. Rao, the renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee, has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious 2017 Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research. The award is the US-based Materials Research Society’s (MRS) highest honour.
7th ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting 2017 in Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 7th ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting (ASEM EMM7) was held on 21-22 September 2017 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- ASEM was established in 1996 as an economic cooperation council of 53 Asian and European countries. This organization is evaluated as an important regional cooperation body that accounts for more than 60% of global trade as of 2015.
TamilNadu govt constitutes Justice Arumugasamy commission to probe Jayalalithaa's death
- Tamil Nadu government has constituted an inquiry commission under a retired high court judge Justice Arumugasamy to probe former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death.
- Announcing this today, state Chief Minister E K Palaniswami also declared to convert Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence in Chennai into a government-run memorial.
National Affairs
National conference on Agriculture for Rabi campaign 2017 in New Delhi
- The National conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2017 was organised by Agriculture Ministry at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on September 19, 2017. The 2-day conference was inaugurated by Radha Mohan Singh , the Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister.
B Sambamurthy appointed as the new interim chairman of NPCI
- B Sambamurthy, the former Director and CEO of the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), has been appointed as new interim Chairman of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Andhra Pradesh launched a mobile app ‘People First’ for citizens
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has launched ‘People First’ mobile application at the Collectors’ conference in Vijayawada. The app will empower citizens with real-time governance.
- It will keep the citizens updated with the latest schemes and services of the government and the users will also be able to use the app for registering their complaints.
Andhra Pradesh to be declared ODF by March 2018
- Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N Chandrababu Naidu, announced that Andhra Pradesh will be declared ODF by March 2018. This was announced during a Collectors’ Conference in Vijaywada, as a part of the Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign.
“Hunar Haat” to be organised in Puducherry from 24th to 30th September 2017
- Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that Ministry of Minority Affairs is organising “Hunar Haat” at Puducherry, one of renowned centre of art & culture, from 24th to 30th September, 2017 to provide market and opportunity to master artisans belonging to the Minority communities.
- The 6th edition of International Textile and Apparel Fair “VASTRA-2017” has started in Jaipur, Rajasthan from September 21 where over 250 exhibitors from 13 states will showcase their products. The 4-day fest was inaugurated by Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
India’s first electric bus service has launched in Himachal Pradesh
- India’s first electric bus service has launched by Himachal Pradesh Government for Rohtang Pass, a tourist destination near Manali.
- The electric bus, which is built by Goldstone Infratech, has been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), after extensive testing at the parts and vehicle level.
India’s first indigenously built Scorpene submarine "INS Kalvari" delivered to the Indian Navy
- India’s first indigenously built Scorpene submarine “INS Kalvari” has been delivered to the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Dock Ltd shipyard and will soon be commissioned.
- Kalvari is named after the dreaded Tiger Shark, a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean. It can carry 18 torpedoes and travel 1,020km underwater.
Dharmendra Pradhan launched a nation-wide "Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat"
- Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has launched a nation-wide ‘Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat’ at Mota Ishanpur village in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat on September 23, 2017.
- The purpose of the LPG Panchayat is to spread awareness among the LPG users about how to properly use the clean fuel and its many benefits.
- The 9-day Bathukamma festival is a colourful and vibrant festival of Telangana that has started on September 20, 2017.
- This festival is a symbol of Telangana’s cultural identity. On this occasion, the Telangana government has began free distribution of over one crore sarees for women below the poverty line.
- M C Mary Kom, the five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist, has become the first Indian to be picked as the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes’ Forum scheduled in November 2017.
- The joint military training exercise “Panda-Kangaroo 2017” was held between Chinese and Australian ground forces in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, from September 10 to 20.
- The exercise is an important platform for enhancing the mutual understanding and trust and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
- The 2-day Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise “Pralay Sahayam” was held in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Telangana on September 22, 2017.
- Rajiv Mehrishi, a 1978 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has taken charge as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on September 25, 2017 and will have tenure of about three years.
- He administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He succeeded Shashi Kant Sharma.
Shashi Shanker appointed as CMD of ONGC
- Shashi Shanker has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director of India's biggest oil and gas producer, ONGC, till March 2021.
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) named Shanker, who is currently Director (Technical and Field Services) at ONGC, as CMD till his superannuation.
PM Narendra Modi launched Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ‘Saubhagya’ to supply electricity to poor households
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ‘Saubhagya’ to supply electricity to poor households to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on September 25, 2017.
- The scheme will cover all rural families after electrification of all villages by December 2017.
PM Narendra Modi launched Saubhagya scheme for household electrification
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana or ‘Saubhagya’, to supply electricity to poor households. The scheme will cover all rural families after electrification of all villages by December end, this year.
- The government said that states will be required to complete the household electrification by March 31, 2019.
- The total outlay for the Saubhagya scheme will be Rs 16,320 crore. The outlay for the rural households is Rs 14,025 crore while the GBS is Rs 10,587.50 crore. For the urban households the outlay is Rs 2,295 crore while GBS is Rs 1,732.50 crore.
- Over three years after coming to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formed an Economic Advisory Council (EAC) amid the government's endeavour to give a push to the growth which has witnessed a slowdown.
- The five-member EAC will be headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy and will include NITI Aayog's Principal Advisor Ratan Watal as its member and economists Surjit Bhalla, Rathin Roy and Ashima Goyal as part-time members.
INS TARASA Commissioned into Indian Navy
- Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, CnC Western Naval Command, commissioned INS TARASA into the Indian Navy, at a function organized at the naval dockyard in Mumbai on 26.09.2017.
INS Tarasa (T94)
- INS Tarasa (T94) is a patrol vessel of the Car Nicobar-class of Indian Navy and the last ship in the series of four Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC).
- Unlike the United States Coast Guard's similarly sized Sentinel class cutters, the class is propelled by water jets, at up to 35 knots (65 km/h), where the American patrol vessels conventional propulsion systems maximum stated speed is 28 knots (52 km/h). Both classes have a mission endurance of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km).
PENCIL Portal Launched for implementation of National Child Labour Project
- Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched (26.09.2017) a web portal called 'PENCIL' for effective implementation of National Child Labour Project (NCLP).
- PENCIL, Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour, developed by the Labour Ministry, is an electronic platform for no child labour.
- PENCIL portal has five components. Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence.
ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) completes 3 years in orbit
- The Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO has said that its Mars Orbiter Mission, MOM which has completed three years in its Martian orbit is in good health and continues to work as expected.
- On the occasion of completion of three years in its Martian orbit on 25.09.2017, the space body on 26.09.207 released MOM second year science data from September 24, 2014 to September 23, 2016.
- The 450-crore rupees MOM mission aims at studying the Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scan its atmosphere for methane which is an indicator of life on Mars.
- ISRO had launched the spacecraft on its nine-month-long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013.
- The space agency has said that it was seeking scientific proposals for Mars Orbiter Mission-2 to expand inter-planetary research.
First Helicopter Service Starts from Srinagar to Drass under UDAN Scheme
- First Helicopter service was started from Srinagar to world's second inhabited place Drass on 26.09.2017, under Udan Scheme. The service will be especially helpful for people during winters and in cases of emergency.
Sports Affairs
Vaishnavi Reddy clinched the U-19 title at the Belgian Junior Open badminton tournament
- Indian shuttler Vaishnavi Reddy has clinched the women’s singles Under-19 title at the Belgian Junior Open badminton tournament. She defeated top seed Vivien Sandorhazi in a three-game final at Herstal, Belgium on September 25, 2017.
- Indian wrestler Bajrang has won gold in the men’s freestyle 65kg by defeating Daichi Takatani of Japan iIn Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.
- Indians added four medals including a gold on the 9th day of the games at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan on September 24, 2017.
- The 57th National Open Athletics Championships 2017 has started at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on September 25, 2017.
- Around 1200 athletes from various states and departments and public sector undertakings would be taking part in the four-day meet.