Top Current Affairs 17 September 2020
Top Current Affairs 17 September 2020: This post contains the latest current affairs for 17 September 2020 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can improve your general knowledge with our daily online current affairs. You can also read the daily current affairs on our mobile app.
National News
Bill passed in Lok Sabha to reduce salaries of MPs by 30%
- The Lok Sabha has passed the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 on 15 September 2020.
- The bill seeks to cut salaries of all Members of Parliaments (MPs) by 30 percent for a period of one year commencing April 1, 2020, to meet the urgent financial need arising out COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will replace the Salary, Allowances And Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.
- This ordinance was cleared by the Union Cabinet on April 6, 2020.
Indian Railways to run 40 clone trains for waitlisted passengers from September 21
- The Ministry of Railways has decided to run 20 pairs (40 trains) of clone Special trains from September 21, 2020, to meet the need of passengers with waitlist ticket and who do not get confirmed reservations on the regular trains.
- Clone Trains are being run for the first time by the India Railways. They will operate on the high traffic routes that have a long waiting list, so that the passengers with such tickets can travel.
- The reservation for these trains will start on September 19 and advance reservation period (ARP) will be 10 days.
- The clone trains will run ahead of the already operating special trains.
- These trains will be fully reserved trains with operational halts only and will operate at speeds higher than those of the existing special trains.
- The Clone Special trains are in addition to the 310 pairs of trains currently in operation.
International News
Fiumicino International Airport in Rome becomes World’s First Airport to earn “COVID-19 5-star airport rating” from Skytrax
- The Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) in Rome,Italy, has become the first airport in the world to be certified with “COVID-19 5-star airport rating” from Skytrax, a U.K.-based airport and airline review firm.
- FCO, also known as the Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport, is the busiest airport in Italy.
- The COVID-19 ratings for hygiene by Skytrax was based on a combination of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation analysis and ATP sampling tests.
- Fiumicino Airport earned the 5 star rating for the hygiene processes and other preventative measures in place to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus.
Banking & Economy
OECD projects India’s GDP at -10.2% in FY21 & 10.7% in FY22, Global GDP at -4.5% in 2020
- The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expects the Indian economy to contract by 10.2% in FY21 (2020-21) as compared to its previous estimate of 16.7% in June.
- For FY22 (2021-22), the Paris-based OECD projects India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 10.7%.
- OECD expects the global GDP at -4.5% in 2020, which is an upward revision from its previous estimate of -6%.
- For the year 2021, the global economy is estimated to increase by 5%.
UBS Securities projects India’s GDP to contract by 8.6% in FY21; For FY22=+10%
- UBS Securities has projected India’s GDP for 2020-21 (FY21) to contact by 8.6%. (Earlier it was -5.8%)
- For FY22, UBS Securities projects India’s GDP to grow by 10%.
- UBS Securities is a Chinese investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Beijing, China.
Titan partners with SBI to launch contactless payment watches “Titan Pay”
- Titan Company has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI) to launch India’s first contactless payment watches named “Titan Pay”.
- Using these watches, the account holders of SBI can tap their Titan Pay watch on the contactless payment POS machines for making payments. It is powered by YONO SBI.
- Under this mechanism, payments of up to Rs. 2,000 can be made without entering a PIN, as per the RBI guidelines.
- A secure certified near-field communication (NFC) chip developed by Tappy Technologies has been embedded in the watch strap that will enable the tap and pay feature in the watch.
Defence
10th Indo-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group Meeting held virtually
- India and the United States held the 10th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group Meeting on 15 September 2020 through virtual platform, in the wake of COVID pandemic.
- The DTTI Group Meetings are normally held twice a year, alternatively between India and the United States, as a part of Indo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation, to bring sustained leadership focus to the bilateral defense trade relationship.
- The virtual meeting was co-chaired by Raj Kumar, Secretary of Defence Production, Defence Ministry and Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, from the US Department of Defence.
- Both the countries signed a statement of intent (SoI) to strengthen the bilateral dialogue on defence technology co-operation and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of military equipment.
Appointment
Great Learning appoints Virat Kohli as brand ambassador
- Great Learning, an ed-tech company for professional and higher education, has appointed Indian cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.
- Great Learning is a leader in the professional learning space and has built a reputation for delivering high-quality education and career transformations.
- Virat will lead the brand’s latest ‘Power Ahead’ campaign, which underlines the importance of lifelong learning.
Obituary
Legendary scholar of Indian classical dance & arts, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, passes away at 92
- Veteran scholar of Indian classical dance, art, architecture and art history, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan has passed away. She was 92-year-old.
- Dr. Vatsyayan was the former Member of Parliament and had served as Education Secretary.
- She was the founding Director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
- Some of the prestigious honors received by Dr Kapila Vatsyayan inlcudes, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship, and the Padma Vibhushan.
Important Days
World Patient Safety Day : 17 September
- The World Patient Safety Day is observed on September 17 to create global awareness for patient safety and urge people to show their commitment to make healthcare safer.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) observed the first WPSD in 2019.
- It was adopted at the 72nd World Health Assembly on 25 May 2019.
- The theme for 2020 WPSD is ‘Safe health workers, Safe patients’.