Current Affairs Daily Digest – September 11 2020

Current Affairs Daily Digest – September 11 2020. Read and Download daily, monthly Current Affairs Daily Digest 2020 for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, IBPS, SBI etc,. Download month wise Current affairs 2020 PDF and Current affairs quiz PDF .

1. India Post launches Five Star Villages Scheme

Five Star Village Scheme has been launched by The Department of Posts. The scheme ensures the universal coverage (100 % coverage) of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of India.

Scheme will be first implemented in Maharashtra. 50 villages in each district will be covered during 2020-2021.

Five Schemes

• Savings Bank accounts, Recurrent Deposit Accounts, NSC or KVP certificates.
• Sukanya Samridhi Accounts or PPF Accounts.
• Funded Post Office Savings Account linked India Post Payments Bank Accounts.
• Postal Life Insurance Policy or Rural Postal Life Insurance Policy.
• Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Account or Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.

2. India and Japan sign Logistics Agreement

India and Japan signed a logistics agreement on September 10, 2020. The agreement on ‘Reciprocal Provision Supplies and Services’ will allow the Armed Forces of India and Japan to coordinate closely in services and supplies. The agreement was signed by Defence Secretary of India and Ambassador of Japan.

Highlights

• Japan Prime minister: Shinzō Abe
• Currency – Japan Yen

3. Golden Temple gets FCRA Registration

The Union Home Ministry recently granted Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration to Gurdwara Harmandir Sahib, or the Golden Temple, in Amritsar. It will now enable the Golden Temple to receive foreign donations. The foreign contribution can be used by the Sikh shrine for providing financial and medical assistance to the needy. It can also be used to organise langar which is a free community kitchen.

Highlights

The Golden Temple is a Gurudwara located in Amritsar, Punjab. It is also known as Harmandir Sahib which means abode of God.

4. Global Economic Freedom Index, 2020

Recently, an annual report on The Economic Freedom of the World, 2020 has been released in India which was prepared by Canada’s Fraser Institute together with a New Delhi-based think tank Centre For Civil Society.

Hongkong and Singapore have topped the index, which have attained first and second position respectively.

Highlights

Though, India has ranked higher than China, standing at 105th position. New Zealand, Switzerland, US, Australia, Mauritius, Georgia, Canada and Ireland make to the top 10 countries.

5. Shipping Minister launches ‘SAROD-Ports’ for disputes of maritime sector

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has launched a dispute redressal mechanism named “SAROD-Ports” (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes-Ports) to facilitate affordable and timely resolution of disputes for the maritime sector.

6. Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF 2.0) launched

Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0. The framework was launched during a virtual event organized by the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Along with the CSCAF 2.0, the minister also launched the ‘Streets for People Challenge’.

The framework has 28 indicators across five categories namely:

• Energy and Green Buildings
• Urban Planning, Green Cover & Biodiversity
• Mobility and Air Quality
• Water Management
• Waste Management

7. Conclave on “School Education in 21st Century” begins

A two-day conclave on ‘School Education in 21st Century’ commenced virtually. The conclave has been organised by Ministry of Education as part of Shikshak Parv 2020.

Shikshak Parv is being celebrated from 8th-25th September, 2020 to felicitate the teachers and to take New Education Policy 2020 forward. The conclave was addressed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi under the National Education Policy- 2020 (NEP-2020).

Highlights

Union Minister of Education: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

• 8. Mastercard launches Central Bank Digital Currency testing platform

Mastercard has launched “Central Bank Digital Currencies” (CBDCs), a Virtual Testing Environment for Central Banks to Assess and Explore National Digital Currencies. Mastercard has invited Central Banks, Commercial Banks and tech and advisory firms to evaluate the suitability of CBDCs in a country or region.

Highlights

• Mastercard Chief Executive Officer: Ajay Banga.
• Mastercard Headquarters: New York, United States.

9. Police Officer Poonam Khatri crowned Wushu World Champion

Indian Police Officer, Poonam Khatri has claimed World Championship status after her silver medal at the Wushu World Championship last year has been upgraded to a Gold medal. Poonam hails from Haryana’s Jhajjar district.

Highlights

• International Wushu Federation President: Zhongwen Gou.
• International Wushu Federation Headquarters: Beijing, China.
• International Wushu Federation Founded: 3 October 1990.

10. Former health secretary Preeti Sudan appointed WHO panellist

The World Health Organisation’s independent panel for pandemic preparedness and response appointed former health secretary, Preeti Sudan as one of its 11 panellists from across the world. The decision by the panel’s two heads, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke and former Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Highlights

• Headquarters of WHO: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Director-general of WHO: Tedros Adhanom.

11. US spacecraft named after fallen astronaut of Indian decent Kalpana Chawla

Northop Grumman, an American global aerospace and defence technology company has announced that its next Cygnus capsule will be named “S.S. Kalpana Chawla”, in memory of the mission specialist who died in 2003 with her six crewmates aboard the space shuttle Columbia.

Highlights

Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana. She did a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in 1982.

12. Overall job growth rate slips to 3.5% in FY 2020: CARE Ratings Report

According to the CARE (Credit Analysis and Research Limited) Ratings Report, the employment growth rate has declined to 3.5% in the Financial Year 2020 from 3.8% in the previous fiscal year.

However, the total number of jobs has increased to 50.02 lakh from 48.32 lakh. As per the newly released report, in FY20, 1.70 lakh jobs were added, while the net addition was 1.76 lakh in Financial Year 2019.