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Current Affairs September 30th 2018

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Current Affairs September 30th 2018

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Current Affairs is a type of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or ongoing at the time of broadcast.
The article Current Affairs September 30th 2018 includes News summary on current events of International, National, Banking, Sports, Awards, Appointments, Books, Obituaries importance of September 30th 2018.

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International Translation Day – September 30
Key Highlights:

  • On 30th September 2018, International Translation Day was celebrated throughout the world.

  • In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly, declared September 30 as International Translation Day. 30 September celebrates the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator.

  • This day offers an opportunity to pay tribute to translators and highlights their importance.

  • Theme: for International Translation Day 2018 is “Translation: promoting cultural heritage in changing times”.

  • International Federation of Translators (FIT), a non-governmental organisation partner with UNESCO, plays a major role in the observance of International Translation Day.

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Ministry of AYUSH sets up AYUSH Information Cell in Romania Key Highlights:

  • Ministry of AYUSH has set up an AYUSH Information Cell at the Indian Embassy in Romania to present authentic information about AYUSH system of medicine and to promote Ayurveda practice in Romania.

  • The AYUSH Information Cell in Romania was digitally inaugurated by Vice president of India Venkaiah Naidu during his visit to Romania on September 19, 2018.

  • The AYUSH Information Cell in Romania will help to organise lectures, consultation, conduct seminars, training courses and help associations of AYUSH stakeholders for networking, conducting meetings, develop awareness of AYUSH system in Romania.

  • At the event, a book on ‘Ayurveda in Romania’ was also released by Venkaiah Naidu. Ambassador of India, Bucharest Mr. Thanglura Darlong also participated in the event.

Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings for 2019
Key Highlights:

  • Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has secured number one position among Indian universities in the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings for 2019 released on 26th September 2018.

  • India has secured 49 places in this year’s list compared to 42 last year. Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT Indore) has become India’s second highest ranked university and a global top 400 institution.

  • IIT Bombay has gone down from the 351-400 rankings band to the 401-500 band.

  • Amrita University from Tamil Nadu has made a steep increase from the 801-1000 band to 601-800 band.

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Govt cuts gross borrowing estimate for current fiscal by Rs 70,000 crore
Key Highlights:

  • On September 29, 2018, Economic Affairs Secretary SC Garg announced a reduction in gross borrowing estimate for the current fiscal by 70,000 crore rupees.

  • It also aims to contain fiscal deficit target at 3.3 per cent.

  • The government intends to borrow around 2 lakh 50,000 crore rupees as compared to 2 lakh 88,000 crores during April-September of 2018-19.

  • It also announced launch of inflation-indexed bonds, adding that one or two bond issues will come in the current fiscal.
Govt to convert 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centers into Wellness Centers
Key Highlights:

  • On September 16, 2018, Union Health Minister JP Nadda declared conversion of 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres into wellness centers by 2022.

  • He also sought the support of the private sector for offering better health care to the people.

  • These aims to facilitate screening of every individual aged 30 for blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis, breast cancer and leprosy among others.

  • He also announced the Kayakalp initiative that would encourage every public health facility in the country to work towards standards of excellence to help the facilities stay clean and hygienic.
Government constitutes Competition Law Review Committee to review the Competition Act
Key Highlights:

  • The Government has constituted a Competition Law Review Committee to review the Competition Act.

  • The Competition Act was passed in 2002. The Competition Commission of India started functioning in 2009.

  • The Competition Law Review Committee will review the Competition Act. It will submit its report within 3 months from its first meeting.
MoHUA & Google launched #Loo Review Campaign
Key Highlights:

  • On September 28, 2018, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM – U) partnered with Google to launch the Loo Review campaign.

  • This would encourage all local guides in India to rate and review public toilets on Google Maps.

  • 500+ cities in India with more than 30,000 toilets with the name of “SBM Toilet” are currently live on Google Maps.
7 member GoM chaired by Bihar Dy. CM to review help for states hit by natural calamity: GST council
Key Highlights:

  • On September 30, 2018, a seven-member group of ministers with Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar as convenor was formed by the Goods and Services Tax Council to review on ‘Modalities for Revenue Mobilisation in case of Natural Calamities and Disasters’.

  • This decision was taken in the 30th meeting of the GST council chaired by chairman Arun Jaitley.

  • The group will recommended ways to assist the calamity hit states with steps like separate cess and would submit its report by submit its report by October 31, 2018.
15% houses completed in urban areas under Centre’s flagship PMAY scheme in 3 years: Ministry of HUA Key Highlights:

  • On September 16, 2018, according to data provided by the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry, over 15 per cent of the 54.95 lakh houses sanctioned in last three years under the Centre’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

  • As per the data, 8.55 lakh houses have been completed till August 21, 2018 and work on 30.4 lakh units across the country.

  • It also stated that out of 8.55 lakh houses, 5.68 lakh houses have been completed in the last one year.

  • Furthermore, on August, the ministry approved construction of nearly 1.12 lakh more affordable houses for urban poor.

  • This took the total number of sanctioned houses under the PMAY (Urban) to 54,95,443.

  • Also, 4,320 cities and towns have been included in the PMAY (U) across the country and 11,226 projects have been approved till July 2018.
Maharashtra topped the list of states with maximum average AUM: AMFI
Key Highlights:

  • On September 22, 2018, according to Association of Mutual Funds of India’s (AMFI) statistics, Maharashtra topes the chart for state with the maximum penetration and Assets Under Management (AUM).

  • Also, as per August , average assets under management (AUM) of mutual funds rose to an all-time high of Rs 25.2 lakh crore across the country.

  • For Maharashtra, it touched Rs 10.35 lakh crore, about 41.1 per cent of the all-India total.

  • It is followed by Delhi having Rs 2.35 lakh crore and Karnataka having Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

  • Other states in the top 5 include: Gujarat with Rs 1.62 lakh crore and West Bengal with Rs 1.29 lakh crore.

  • Haryana with Rs 1.14 lakh crore and Tamil Nadu with Rs 1.16 lakh crore were the only other states with more than Rs 1 lakh crore of AUM, where UP has Rs 96,200 crore.

  • Also, Mutual fund penetration as measured by per capital asset under management was the highest in Delhi followed by Goa and Maharashtra.
Kolkata launched India’s first flood forecast system with $1 mn assistance from ADB
Key Highlights:

  • On September 27, 2018, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) launched a flood forecasting and early warning system (FFEWS) for Kolkata City.

  • To help city officials and citizens act decisively to minimize damage before and during disasters.

  • Asian Development Bank (ADB) from its Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund under the Urban Financing Partnership Facility, funded this project with technical assistance of a $1 million to KMC.

  • The system has been designed to provide forecasts as well as real-time information on inundation, temperature, air quality, and other climate-related data through 400 sensor nodes.

  • It will send real-time data to a cloud-based dashboard which will send risk information through mobile alerts and radio/television messaging.

  • It will reduce economic loss and impacts on livelihood and improve flood awareness and safety at community level.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the three-day ‘Kalahandi Dialogue’
Key Highlights:

  • On 28th September 2018, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Kalahandi Dialogue’at Bhawanipatna, in Kalahandi, Odisha.
    • The ‘Kalahandi Dialogue’ was held for 3 days. It was a global conclave on development of Kalahandi district.
  • Naveen Patnaik also launched several projects for the district. He laid foundation stone for 12 projects, inaugurated nine projects in Bhawanipatna, etc.

  • Sujeet Kumar was the Chairperson of Kalahandi Dialogue. The dialogue aimed to involve youth in development activities.

  • Naveen Patnaik praised the people of Kalahandi for making the district the “green basket” of Odisha.

shape Banking

Permission to open new branches by Bandhan Bank withdrawn by RBI
Key Highlights:

  • On September 28, 2018, RBI withdrew permission of Bandhan Bank to open new branches.

  • It also put a freeze on the remuneration of the MD & CEO, CS Ghosh.

  • This happened because of the bank’s failure to bring down shareholding of Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC) or promoter share holding to 40 per cent as instructed by RBI.

India’s external debt declined 2.8 per cent $514.4 billion at end-June: RBI
Key Highlights:

  • On September 30, 2018, according to data of the Reserve Bank of India, India’s external debt for the quarter ended June 2018 declined on a year-on-year basis by 2.8 per cent to $514.4 billion.

  • It had a recording decrease of $14.9 billion from earlier estimate of over $529 billion reported for the corresponding period of 2017.

  • Also, the external debt to GDP ratio stood at 20.4 percent at June-end, a shade lower than its level of 20.5 per cent at March-end.

  • The major reason for the decrease in external debt was primarily due to valuation gains of $13 billion due to appreciation of the US dollar against the Indian rupee.

  • This also happened due to a decrease in commercial borrowings, short-term debt and non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits.

  • Excluding the valuation effect, the decrease in external debt would have been $1.9 billion instead of $14.9 billion at June-end over March-end.

  • Commercial borrowings continued to be the largest component of external debt with a share of 37.8 per cent, followed by NRI deposits at 24.2 per cent and short-term trade credit at 18.8 per cent.
Rs 5 crore penalty slapped on Karur Vysya Bank by RBI
Key Highlights:

  • On September 28, 2018, the Reserve Bank of India fined Karur Vysya Bank a total of Rs. 5 crore for non-compliance of its directives.

  • The reason behind this penalty are Non-compliance with its directions on “Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms, Reporting of frauds, and On the need for discipline at the time of opening of current accounts.

BoB, Vijaya Bank approved merger proposal with Dena Bank to create second largest PSU lender
Key Highlights:

  • On September 29, 2018, the boards of state-run Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Vijaya Bank gave their assent for their amalgamation with Dena Bank to form the second-largest entity in the PSU banking space.

  • This is in line with the Finance Ministry’s proposal on September 17, 2018.

  • Post-merger, the asset size of the new entity would be over Rs 14.5 lakh crore.

  • The amalgamation of the three banks would be through share swap which will be the part of the scheme of merger.

  • Post-merger of BoB, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, the number of PSU banks will come down to 19.

BSE, PTC, ICICI to set up India’s 3rd electricity exchange
Key Highlights:

  • On September 10, 2018, BSE, PTC India Ltd and ICICI Bank have come together to form India’s third electricity exchange.

  • They have filed a petition with the power market regulator, CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) for grant of licence for setting up a new power exchange.

  • India has two operating power exchanges—Power Exchange of India (PXIL) and India Energy Exchange (IEX).
World Bank-ADB report estimated Rs 25,050 crore for rebuilding Kerala
Key Highlights:

  • On September 27, 2018, the World Bank (WB) – Asian Development Bank (ADB) team jointly conducted Rapid Damage Assessment and Need Analysis (RDNA).

  • In its report it estimated that the main sectors of Kerala had suffered a loss of Rs. 25,050 crore.

  • Furthermore, the state government decided to raise Rs. 15,900 crore as loan from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other agencies.

  • This would help in Repairing and reconstruction of roads under Public Works Department, local self government institutions, water supply, flood control and irrigation systems, coastal area protection, rehabilitation of people in coastal stretches, etc.

  • It also announced a year’s moratorium on loans of agricultural and dairy farmers.

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Neymar Appointed Permanent Captain Of Brazilian Football Team
Key Highlights:

  • Neymar has been appointed as the permanent captain of Brazil’s national football team.

  • Neymar is a striker of the Paris Sain-Germain team. Brazil’s head football coach Tite has removed the captaincy rotation policy of the team to give Neymar the permanent captain position.

shape Appointments

Jayant Mammen Mathew elected president of Indian Newspaper Society
Key Highlights:

  • On 28th September 2018, Jayant Mammen Mathew was elected president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for 2018-19.

  • Jayant Mammen Mathew is the Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama. He replaces Akila Urankar.
Indian Ports Association appoints Managed Service Provider for Port Enterprise Business System for 5 Major Ports
Key Highlights:

  • Indian Ports Association (IPA) has appointed M/s Tech Mahindra as the Managed Service Provider for 5 major ports: Mumbai Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, Deendayal Port Trust and Paradip Port Trust.

  • M/s Tech Mahindra has partnered with M/s SAP, M/s Envision, M/s CISCO, M/s Dell, M/s RTCom etc.

  • IPA has also hired M/s Ernst Young to support in conceptualizing Port-EBS (Enterprise Business System) and support IPA and ports to implement this initiative.

  • The Enterprise Business System will consist of Port Operations Solution, standard ERP solutions, and auxiliary solutions.

  • The Project Implementation and Stabilisation period is 20 months. Operations and Maintenance support is for 5 years.
Afghanistan Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali resigns
Key Highlights:

  • On 19th September 2018, Afghanistan Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali resigned from his position.
  • Shaida Abdali submitted his resignation to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani during his one-day visit to Delhi.

  • Shaida Abdali became Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India in July 2012. He has cited that he is returning to Afghanistan to serve his people and country.

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Urdu version of PM Modi’s book ‘Exam Warriors’ released
Key Highlights:

  • On 15th September 2018, the Urdu version of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book ‘Exam Warriors’ was released in New Delhi.

  • The book was released by Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar along with other union ministers. The launch event was organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre.

  • The book focusses on 25 mantras for parents and students to manage the stress of exams. It was earlier published in 14 languages.

shape Obituaries

Renowned harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar passed away Key Highlights:

  • On 29th September 2018, renowned harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar died following a chest infection in Mumbai.

  • Pandit Tulsidas Borkar was 84 years old. He was born in Goa. He received the Padma Shri award in 2016.

  • He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2005. He was known for both solo performances and his unique style of accompanying Indian classical singers.
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