Current Affairs Daily Digest – September 25 2019
1. Greta Thunberg, 16 year old, won alternative Nobel Prize
Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg was named as one of four winners of the 2019 Right Livelihood Award. The award is also known as Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize. She was awarded for inspiring and amplifying political demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts.
The award was announced by the Right Livelihood Foundation. The awardees triggered a thirst to strive for a liveable future for all on planet Earth.
2. Binny Bansal gets IIT Delhi distinguished alumni award
Flipkart Co-founder Binny Bansal has become the youngest alumnus this year to be recognized as a distinguished alumnus by IIT Delhi. He was recognized for the outstanding contribution made in entrepreneurship.
3. NASA to pay USD 4.6 bn to buy 6 spacecraft for Artemis moon missions
NASA has partnered and contracted American global aerospace company Lockheed Martin to develop minimum six and as many as 12 spacecraft for its Artemis lunar exploration programme.
4. Ministry of WCD organized Poshan Maah event
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) as part of the POSHAN Maah organized a one day camp in Shastri Bhavan in New Delhi. Rabindra Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of WCD inaugurated the Test, Treat and Talk (T 3) Anaemia and Defeat Diarrhoea (D 2) camp in New Delhi. The Ministry aims to create awareness regarding simple solutions to Anaemia and Diarrhoea.
5. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina wins GAVI’s ‘Vaccine Hero’ award
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has been conferred with prestigious ‘Vaccine Hero’ award of Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisations (GAVI) in recognition of Bangladesh’s outstanding success in vaccination to immunise children.
She was conferred the award at a ceremony at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the sidelines of 74th session of UN General Assembly (UNGA).
6. PM Modi receives Global Goalkeepers Award
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the 2019 ‘Global Goalkeeper Award’ by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at a ceremony held on the sidelines of United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York City, US. PM Modi was honoured with international award for his leadership of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (or Swachh Bharat Mission), which he had launched on 2 October 2014 as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
7. Amitabh Bachchan to get Dadasaheb Phalke Award – 2018
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with India’s highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2018. He will be conferred the prestigious film honour for his ‘outstanding contribution for the growth and development of Indian cinema’.
The award comes in the year that marks Amitabh Bachchan’s golden jubilee (50 years) in cinema. The announcement in this regard was made by Minister of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.
8. Canberra becomes first Australian city to legalise marijuana
The Australian capital of Canberra has become the first city in the country to legalise, possessing and growing marijuana for personal use. People aged 18 or above will be allowed to possess 50 grams of marijuana and grow two plants. Marijuana plants will have to be grown somewhere not accessible to the public or be accessible to children.
9. Telugu actor Venu Madhav passes away at 39
Telugu actor Venu Madhav passed away in Hyderabad at the age of 39. After undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments and being discharged from the hospital on September 22, he was readmitted on Tuesday after his condition worsened. The actor is known for his role in films like, ‘Sampradayam’, ‘Master’, ‘Tholi Prema’, ‘Yuvaraju’, ‘Simhadri’, among others.
10. Tom Hanks to receive Cecil B DeMille Award at 2020 Golden Globes
Hollywood actor Tom Hanks will be honoured with Cecil B DeMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards on January 5, 2020, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced.
The award recognises an individual who has made a lasting impact on the film industry. Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman and Meryl Streep have been some of the recipients of the award.
11. Manipur win 25th Senior Women’s National Football Championship
The Manipur women football team brought laurels to their state and the Northeast by winning the 25th Senior Women’s National Football Championship 2019 at Pasighat.
The Manipur team emerged champion by defeating Indian Railways 1-0 in the final match played at Pasighat College of Horticulture & Forestry playground.
12. Assam Government launches Aponar Apon Ghar, Abhinandan
The Assam Government launched twin schemes — the Aponar Apon Ghar Scheme, a home loan subsidy scheme, and the Abhinandan – Education Loan Subsidy scheme. Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had in his State Budget speech earlier this year announced the launch of the Aponar Apon Ghar Scheme.
13. RBI puts curbs on PMC Bank, customers panic
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) put severe curbs on Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank, including on cash withdrawals, amid a probe into accounting lapses, sparking speculation that the regulator may force a management change through a merger.
Cash withdrawals were capped at ₹1,000 per account for six months, spreading panic among depositors. PMC Bank has also been barred from making fresh loans and taking deposits.
14. India Tourism Mart exhibition inaugurated
Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the exhibition of India Tourism Mart (ITM), 2019 in New Delhi. Over 240 international delegates from 51 countries and 160 exhibitors from across the country are taking in part in the second edition of ITM.
15. Infosys, TCS, HDFC Among 17 Indian Firms In Forbes Best ‘Regarded’ Cos List
As many as 17 Indian companies, including Infosys, TCS and HDFC, have been named in the list of World’s Best Regarded Companies compiled by Forbes.
IT major Infosys has been ranked third in the list of World’s Best Regarded Companies, along with global payments technology company Visa and Italian car-maker Ferrari on the first and second position, respectively. Infosys jumped to the third spot from 31st position in 2018.
16. SBI Life signs corporate agency pact with Repco Home Finance
SBI Life Insurance said it has signed a corporate agency agreement with city-based Repco Home Finance Ltd to offer the company’s range of products to RHFL customers.
According to the agreement, the partnership would see over 148 branches and 27 satellite centres of RHFL spread across the country to offer SBI Life Insurance products to its customers.
